OCNews

Dress up with your kids, enjoy a matinee, then parade downtown Vernon with glow up lanterns and a stilt walker.

An upcoming event aims to cast a glow on children’s faces while also lighting a path for a new childcare centre at Okanagan College’s Vernon campus. 

The Okanagan College Foundation is hosting Glow UP: A Matinee, Masquerade and Lantern Light Up Saturday, Oct. 28. 

Participants can make their own lanterns at an upcoming workshop hosted by local artists at Okanagan College Saturday, Oct. 21 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. 

For the main event, families and friends are encouraged to wear a costume for the movie Trolls. After the film, participants will continue the fun by lighting up their lanterns and joining a parade led by a stilt walker and drummers through the streets under the moonlight. The parade will end at the Vernon Museum where participants can enjoy free entertainment, refreshments and a silent auction.

Proceeds from the event will support the Sunflower Childcare Campaign, which is raising funds for a childcare centre at Okanagan College’s Vernon Campus.

“Glow Up promises to be a unique celebration of fun and fantasy,” says Shannon Marsh, a volunteer on the organizing committee. 

She says if people are unable to attend the lantern-making workshop, they can still join in the main festivities.

“This event is about celebrating community. This is an opportunity for families and people of all ages to come together while supporting new childcare spaces in Vernon.”

Marsh adds she is grateful to the local businesses who have generously donated silent auction items, from local art and jewelry to gift certificates for family activities and restaurants.

Okanagan College Foundation Development Officer Sasha Carter says she is excited to host Glow UP, which will make a meaningful impact on a critical need in the community.  

“The statistics speak for themselves; 50 per cent of parents are currently waitlisted for childcare services and those have an average wait time of two years,” says Carter. 

She adds that for student parents, the drive to pursue post-secondary is complicated and daunting enough without having the complexity of finding childcare.  

“Students who have access to affordable and safe childcare are three times more likely to graduate. This is a win for our student parents and a win for our community.”

The childcare centre, along with a new student housing building, is scheduled to open for the Fall 2024 semester on the Vernon campus. 

To learn more and to register for Glow Up, click here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/glow-up-a-matinee-masquerade-and-lantern-light-up-tickets-700293916957?aff=ebdssbdestsearch