OCNews

College Foundation hosts fundraiser for new Sunflower Childcare Centre

Sunflowers blooming, the promise of new beginnings, and brighter futures for student parents in Vernon will be the focus of Okanagan College Foundation’s upcoming Plant a Seed Day Fundraiser. The fun-filled event will take place on May 10, between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. and will support the new, affordable, 44-seat on-campus Sunflower Childcare Centre, operated by local, non-profit childcare provider Maven Lane.  

Guests will be invited to “tap into their inner child” with family-friendly activities like a lemonade crawl, a Crazy 8’s tournament, sunflower-themed art and yoga classes, line dancing and local eats. The event is open to the public and free to attend.  

In honour of Mother’s Day, local donors, including former Okanagan College Instructor Lloyd Davies and his wife Janet Armstrong, will match a total of $80,000 in donations received on Plant a Seed Day (and throughout May). This means that for anyone who donates as part of Plant a Seed Day, their gift will have double the impact.

“Student-parents with access to childcare are three times more likely to graduate, so a donation to the Sunflower Childcare Centre is really an investment in the wellbeing of students, their families, and our community,” says Helen Jackman, Executive Director, Okanagan College Foundation.  

For more information on Plant a Seed Day or to make a donation, please visit trellis.org/plant-a-seed-day.