Campaign launched to raise $5M to build recreation centre at Okanagan College

A $5 million donation from the family of Don and Karen Folk has kickstarted a campaign to build a new $14 million recreation and wellness centre at Okanagan College's Kelowna campus.

“The Folk family’s sense of community and their fundamental belief in the power of sport have been an absolute driving force behind this project,” said Helen Jackman, Okanagan College Foundation executive director as students, staff and dignitaries gathered in the trades atrium Thursday.

The $5 million is the largest gift in OC history and one of the largest to any B.C. college.

Leading the efforts to secure the remaining donations needed to build the facility will be former MLA Cliff Serwa and his wife Lois, who have given $500,000 to the Thrive Here campaign.

Serwa spoke about how, as a teen, he stayed in school because he wanted to play basketball, and that helped him get the education he needed to go onto a successful business and political career.

“I played basketball when I was an MLA. I played basketball with Mike Harcourt, who became premier of the province of British Columbia,” Serwa told the crowd, saying it opened doors and made good things happen in the community.

“I was the lone Socred member of the legislature and we were able to get the cancer clinic here because of the reputation and the respect we had for each other. And that’s part and parcel of the product of a background in sports.”

The recreation and wellness centre is especially important in the wake of the pandemic and its impact on the mental and physical well being of students.

“We were lucky because we were still practicing basketball. But even in that scenario, it was way different. It was still really hard on us even though we were still kind of getting out to see those 10 people on our team," said OC Coyotes basketball player Soleil Wilding.

"I think for the people who didn’t maybe get out at all to see anyone, it would have made a huge difference to be able to go work out at the gym and just like see other people and be around other people"

World champion curler Sasha Carter, who works with the Okanagan College Foundation, shared her story of how sport changed her life. Now, as a mom, she sees it through a whole new lens.

“I see the skills it taught me. My best friendships came from people who I was on sports teams with. When you have a shared passion, when you feel like you belong with a group, whatever that group is, it just creates confidence in you. It makes you really like and love yourself,” Carter told Castanet.

Jackman announced that $9 million has already been raised. This campaign is calling on the community to help come up with the final $5 million needed to get across the finish line.

Construction is expected to begin next spring and the aim is to open the doors to the new recreation and wellness centre at the Kelowna campus in 2026.