Celebrating our diversity

Photo: Contributed

Celebrating multiculturalism and diversity strengthens our community. 

That is the message from the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan. 

“Our community is rich with people from indigenous cultures as well as people from around the world contributing to the fabric of our society," says executive director Annette Sharkey.

For the third year, Vernon will be honouring and acknowledging multicultural community champions through a nomination process highlighting the contributions of local residents. 

"We are looking for nominees that have a diverse cultural background, contribute back to our community through entrepreneurship, career, stewardship, mentorship or volunteerism, and would be comfortable being celebrated, sharing their culture and having their story told publicly," says Sharkey.

The nomination process will be open until the end of March. 

Up to 10 nominations will be selected at Community Champions and will have their story professionally written and shared in the community. They will also be honoured at a reception in June and receive a keepsake copy of their feature story. 

Sharkey adds, “Under the banner “Respect Works Here” these stories inspire and captivate readers. Respect comes from understanding each other better and this simple initiative shows the strength our community gains from embracing and celebrating diversity.”

The Social Planning Council is the host agency for the Vernon Local Immigration Partnership Council as well as the Thompson Okanagan Respect Network. 

The funding for this initiative was provided by the Province of BC.

You can nominate a Community Champion by filling out a form before March 31. The forms can be found on the Social Planning Council for the North Okanagan website.