Inspired by its 100-year commitment to improving the lives of children, the Kiwanis Club of Kelowna-Summit has established the first major entrance award endowment in the Okanagan School of Education. The Kiwanis gift of $125,000 will be matched by funds provided by the university as part of the UBC Blue & Gold Campaign for Students. The resulting $250,000 endowment will create the Kiwanis Kelowna Legacy 2018 Major Entrance Award in Education, the largest award established in the School to date.

“Your gift represents an investment which helps the Okanagan School of Education deliver on its primary mission, and creates a fantastic opportunity for faculty and students of the Okanagan School of Education and for our broader community,” says Margaret Macintyre Latta, Interim Director of the Okanagan School of Education. “We take very seriously the selection of our prospective educators and this award will definitely help us attract the best candidates to our program. There is no doubt that your generosity will change lives.”

President-elect of Kiwanis Club of Kelowna-Summit, Dulcie Sharpe, noting the club had created legacy awards for three other local organizations, stated, “We are very proud to be able to create the fourth and final pillar of the Kiwanis Kelowna Legacy funds: The Kiwanis Kelowna Legacy Major Entrance Award in Education. We just can’t say enough good things about the help we have received from the university and our other community partners in ensuring our goal of helping the lives of our children and youth is realized, in perpetuity.”

Funds for the endowment came from the sale of the Kiwanis Tower, located at the corner of Lawrence and Gordon in downtown Kelowna. Additional proceeds from the sale of the high-rise have been given to charities which support local children and youth.