Dozens of Okanagan College students attending the Vernon campus will have smiles on their faces and more money in their pockets this week when awards totaling $41,000 are handed out from the Okanagan College Foundation.

Thirty-five students will be receiving 58 awards at the annual Awards Reception, which takes place Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Vernon campus.

“Each one of these students is very deserving of these awards, and awards like this encourage students to do their best in their studies. They are role models for many other students on campus,” said North Okanagan Regional Dean Jane Lister.

One of those students receiving more than one award is Brian Garvin, a 23-year-old student who is in the second year of his Associate of Arts degree with plans to become a social worker.

Garvin is receiving three awards: the R.J. Gillespie Memorial Award, Rotary Club of Vernon Award, and the Peter & Maria Jakubow Bursary totaling $2,000.

“The generosity blows me away,” said Garvin. “One day I hope I’m in a position to do the same for someone else because it really means a lot.”

Over the years, numerous organizations and individuals have established memorial awards, scholarships, and bursaries, including groups like the Rotary Club of Vernon, Valley First Credit Union, and the Community Foundation of the North Okanagan.

“This Awards night means a lot to students, but it is also significant for our donors who appreciate a chance to meet the recipients and see for themselves how donating to the Foundation has helped power the College’s promise to transform lives,” said Kathy Butler, Executive Director of the Okanagan College Foundation.


The Vernon awards night is just one of four Awards receptions held at each of the campuses. Awards given out at these receptions represent a portion of the total number of awards granted each year to deserving Okanagan College students.

In the 2012-13 fiscal year, the Okanagan College Foundation gave out $676,826 in scholarships and bursaries.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013