Poverty is more widespread in our community than most realize. One in six children in the Okanagan fall below the poverty line, including almost half the children in single-parent families. Too many students in our community with the desire and ability to graduate face daunting financial challenges. For these students, financial assistance can make the difference between graduating or dropping out. Discussions with the Principals of the participating schools revealed a disturbingly large number of students in this situation.
Our program is designed to help these students stay in school and graduate. As we all know, high school graduation opens many doors and provides many possibilities.
A student in full-time attendance at one of the five public high schools in the Central Okanagan School District (#23) is eligible for this program if they have completed at least one year of high school; have demonstrated a strong work ethic and commitment to their education, and are in a difficult financial situation.
The Society’s Board of Directors is responsible for raising funds and providing the monthly awards to the students (currently $100 month during the school year). School officials (Vice-Principals and Counselors) are responsible for selecting the students on the basis of individual merit and ensuring the students continue to work toward graduation. For the 2026/27 school year we are supporting students in Rutland Senior Secondary, École Kelowna Secondary and Mount Boucherie Secondary.
In 2025/26, our inaugural year, we supported 3 students at one high school. In our second year, we are supporting 3 students at 3 high schools. Our objective is to provide awards to at least 5 students in each of the 5 high schools in the Central Okanagan. We also would like to increase the monthly award and, in time, explore expanding the program to additional students and to other school districts in the Okanagan.