Okanagan College Foundation

Please give to help students and their families bloom

Okanagan College Foundation is inviting the community to help raise the $750,000 needed to complete and equip the Sunflower Childcare Centre with furnishings, supplies and a creative outdoor space where kids can play. 

With community support, the Sunflower Childcare Centre will blossom into a vibrant space where student parents and their families can grow and thrive.

Please consider giving to create accessible childcare on our Vernon campus.

 
Renderings of childcare centre

Recent news

A screen shot of a video Global News took featuring OC practical nursing students.
Ready, Set, Grow! Okanagan College Foundation kicks off its Sunflower Childcare Centre Campaign with an inspiring event at the Vernon Campus

Enthusiastic young volunteers led games and activities at the launch of Okanagan College Foundation’s $1.25 million campaign in support of a new on-campus childcare centre in Vernon. 

Held on Mar. 1 at OC’s Vernon campus, the event drew 65 guests and celebrated the kickoff of the Sunflower Childcare Centre fundraising campaign.

Student parent Sarina Parsons gave a moving and hopeful speech highlighting the impact the new centre will have on students and their families.  

"The Sunflower Childcare Centre will allow parents to focus on their goals and aspirations while knowing their most precious little ones are being cared for in a loving and nurturing environment." said Parsons.

Sunflower Childcare Campaign Launch
Lloyd Davies and Janet Armstrong at Sunflower Childcare Centre Campaign Launch
Former Okanagan College Instructor Lloyd Davies, and his wife give $500,000 for a New Childcare Centre on Vernon Campus

Sometimes it only takes a small lift to get one individual over a hurdle. But to help many people, former Okanagan College instructor Lloyd Davies has demonstrated a big commitment goes a long way to breaking down barriers.

This is what inspired the long-time Vernon resident and his wife Janet Armstrong to donate $500,000 to OC to help build a childcare centre on the Vernon Campus.

Davies has long believed childcare is the missing link for learners trying to access education in their adult years. He first noticed the impact of daycare in 1985, when he returned to Okanagan College to complete his teaching certification training through the SFU extension Professional Development Program. He noticed that one topic kept coming up in conversation around the lunch table with his peers.

"Time and again, I would have students missing class, missing labs, missing exams because they were struggling to get affordable, reliable childcare. It was an ongoing issue for student parents," said Davies.

 

Learn more
image of an Okanagan College Student with her daughter

I signed up for fourteen childcare waitlists, and it still took years to get my daughter into daycare.

Megean Dahms,
Student Parent, Okanagan College Vernon Campus

I signed up for as many waitlists as I could, but I was only offered part-time placements. Not having full-time childcare has meant that my schooling has taken much longer, and I’ve struggled in my classes because I haven’t had quiet study time.
 

Halima Shikh,
Student Parent, Okanagan College, Vernon Campus

I’ve really struggled to find good, licensed childcare for my daughter. She’s my everything. I’d almost rather not go to school than go and worry she’s not being properly cared for.


Sarina Parsons,
Student Parent, Okanagan College Vernon Campus
 

Thank you to our generous community of supporters. You're transforming lives and communities.

The Skoglund family outside of the Health Sciences Centre
Skogie’s 50th anniversary adds shine to student experience
Business gives $1,000 for every year in business

Skogie’s car washes are celebrating 50 years of business by making the ride for Okanagan College students a little easier.

“We've hired a lot of Okanagan College students over the years,” says David Skoglund, who founded the company in 1971.

Skoglund gift
Dr. Russell Naito, Dr. Richard Bell and Dr. Tom White in the new sterilization room at Okanagan College.Dr. Russell Naito, Dr. Richard Bell and Dr. Tom White in the new sterilization room at Okanagan College.
A thank you to Certified Dental Assistants
Oral surgeons give $30k to dental clinic

A local oral surgery group is investing in the education of Certified Dental Assistants (CDAs) with a gift to Okanagan College’s Our Students, Your Health campaign.

Dr. Richard Bell, Dr. Russell Naito and Dr. Tom White of Okanagan Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates are donating $30,000 to support a state-of-the-art dental clinic.

Oral surgeons gift
(From left to right): Back row: Jacqueline, Jillian, Leah, Jeremy. Front row: Leona and Jack
Kofoed family celebrates the role of nurses
Gift honours Jack's wife Leona

A $60,000 gift from the Kofoed family will honour a very special nurse in their life, and a generation of new nurses entering the field.

Jack Kofoed, and his children Jacqueline, Leah, Jillian and Jeremy are giving to the Our Students, Your Health campaign to help complete construction on a new Health Sciences Centre at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus.

Kofoed family gift

Virtual tour of the Health Sciences Centre

Help transform lives and communities