ROTARY CLUB OF KELOWNA PRESS RELEASE -


 

From left, Rotary Club of Kelowna President Gary Bennett, Gorman Bros. Director Kathryn Vernon, Ross Gorman, Gorman Bros. CEO Bill Reedy and Okanagan College President Jim Hamilton

Firm Partners with Rotary Club of  Kelowna and Okanagan College in unique scholarship  program
   
Renowned for its involvement with  the United  Way and the Kelowna Community Food Bank; for being  the largest corporate contributor to The Central Okanagan Foundation; and for  supporting many other community-minded initiatives, Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd.  is arguably the Okanagan Valley’s leading  business when it comes to philanthropy in the community.   At today’s annual joint luncheon  between the Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Kelowna, Gorman Bros.  demonstrated once again that it is serious about “giving back” to this  community.
   
Gorman Bros. is the Charter Corporate Partner in an alliance between The Rotary Club of Kelowna and  Okanagan  College in creating a  scholarship for mid-career people wanting to upgrade their job skills but  facing economic barriers to do so.

“With the growing skill shortage in trades  and other areas, combined with a lot of financially strapped mid-career people  wanting to upgrade their skills and standard of living, we saw an opportunity  to more closely link the needs of the business community with the Vocational  Service initiatives of Rotary,” said Kathy Butler, Director of Advancement for  Okanagan College and a member of the Rotary Club of Kelowna. The scholarship  program is funded primarily by Corporate Partners, with Rotary also  contributing. For the Corporate Partner, it is an opportunity to fund a trade  they have a need for; for Rotary, it is an opportunity to support someone with  the motivation to upgrade, but not the financial resources.  For the recipient themselves, it  presents opportunity not only to upgrade skills, but the potential opportunity  for future employment with the Corporate Partner who sponsors their  scholarship.
  
Gorman Bros. has taken the  program to another level. “We saw a need to be addressed which was more  important than any skill deficiency we may have. Skill shortages in the  health care sector are far and away a bigger concern, and we felt Rotary’s  program was an opportunity for us to lead the way and make a contribution,” said Bill Reedy, CEO of Gorman Bros. The initial contribution is $10,000 to  fund two $5,000 Scholarships for the Licensed Practical Nursing Diploma. Mr.  Reedy added, “We think this is a program other companies should consider, and  we challenge them to get on board; if not to help address community needs then  at least to address their own needs, and to help people improve their standard  of living.”

Gary Bennett, President of the Rotary Club of Kelowna, added,  “When we were developing this program, we knew its success would be predicated  on finding a company that is seen by the public and business community as a  pace setter, and Gorman Bros fit that bill perfectly. We want to expand and  perpetuate this program, and we are looking for other businesses to follow  Gorman Bros. lead.”
 
More information about the scholarship  partnership program can be obtained by contacting Kathy Butler at Okanagan College.