Surprise gift from Stober Foundation helps Okanagan College’s new student-led investment fund open for business

By College Relations | April 20, 2022
           

Student Investment Fund
Founders of the OC Student Investment Fund: (l to r) Steven Fiust, Justin Rantucci and Riley Dunsmore

A trio of Okanagan College Business students envisioned an investment fund that has attracted overwhelming community support, including a generous $40,000 gift from the Stober Foundation.

The group began fundraising in January and met their $100,000 seed funding goal in record time.

Riley Dunsmore and Steven Fiust, both OC Business students, along with recent alumnus Justin Rantucci, created the Okanagan College Student Investment Fund to give students experiential learning opportunities and benefit future students with bursaries and scholarships.

“The reception from the community has been exceptional. I extend my greatest thanks to the donors,” says Dunsmore.

The fund will provide a pool of money for Business students at all four OC campuses to make real-world investments under the supervision and support of a team of expert advisors.

While student-led and managed, the fund will be held and governed by Okanagan College Foundation.

“This fund fits the Stober Foundation’s mission beautifully; it’s progressive, forward-thinking and sustainable in nature,” says Keith Z. Brewster, Director and Lead Philanthropist, Stober Foundation.

The fund aims to provide learning opportunities that will smooth students’ transitions into the working world and boost their resumes.

“Finance is a notoriously competitive field. To get a job, you have to have experience, but to get experience, you have to have a job,” says Rantucci.

Stober Cheque Presentation

The Stober Foundation announced their gift during a surprise visit to a Business class.

“The students did a fantastic job pitching the concept and initiative itself. That, coupled with their selfless motivation to help future generations of students compelled us to step up and support them in a big way. We know our gift is an investment in the future of business in the Okanagan, and we hope our donation inspires others to give,” says Brewster.

Once the fund builds to $500,000, all proceeds will be distributed as bursaries and scholarships to incoming classes of Okanagan College students.

“We are really striving to reach the $500,000 assets under management mark because we know that the additional impact and value that can be generated for students and stakeholders will be incredible,” explains Fiust.

Students are asking for community support to raise the remaining $400,000 to reach this benchmark.

Having these assets upfront, instead of building the fund through investment income alone, will allow more students to participate in the program from its onset. It will also increase the number of awards issued over the course of the program by 400 per cent.

“It’s our privilege to support the students as they work towards their $500,000 goal. Donations to the OC Student Investment Fund will benefit Okanagan College students for generations to come,” says Helen Jackman, Executive Director of Okanagan College Foundation.

To learn more about the Student Investment Fund or to donate, visit https://trellis.org/studentinvestmentfund.



Tags: Okanagan School of Business, OC Foundation, Inside OC

TOP STORIES

RELATED STORIES

Sign up for weekly stories




Trending

Communications student standing outside the Centre for Learning building at the Kelowna campus
Meet Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores

April 4, 2023

Q: What's your name? A: Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores Q: What's your hometown? A: Quito – Ecuador – South America Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Well, I studied for a bachelor's degree in Law in Ecuador. Then, I worked for a while and got my Master's degree in Government and Culture of Organizations at the University of Pamplona.  When I returned to my country, professional opportunities arose for me. I mean, a Master's degree improved my career. Spain helped ...

Read more...
Animation student
Artistic students design future careers in animation

June 7, 2022

Grads of Okanagan College’s Animation Diploma program are finding their skills have never been in higher demand. First- and second-year students showed samples of their artwork and demo reels to industry partners at OC’s annual Animation Industry Night on May 17. “Lots of the work was very professional,” says James Wood, Chair of Okanagan College’s Animation Department. “Our program is short, but intense. The instructors make sure the students have a realistic understanding of what they need do to succeed in a competitive and demanding...

Read more...
JAMK campus
OC Business students embrace international study again

May 30, 2022

Business students from Okanagan College are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences.  Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.  OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies. “JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,” he says. “They stress cri...

Read more...
Enactus 2022
Enactus Okanagan College tops the field, sets sights on national championships

May 27, 2022

Okanagan College students will once again be competing for the Canadian title after qualifying for the Enactus National Exposition with a first-place finish in their league during the semi-final round. Enactus teams at post-secondary institutions across Canada competed virtually earlier this month, and Okanagan College scooped up top position in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and runner-up in the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge for the Unusually Good Food Co. project. It also included national runner-up in Shaw and RBC accelerator...

Read more...