KCR: Okanagan Volunteer Fair celebrates 25 years
Contributed by the KCR Community Resource
On September 17 the Okanagan Volunteer Fair Celebrates its 25th Silver Anniversary at Parkinson Recreation with a stellar turnout of over 70 organizations, including one of Kelowna’s newest non-profit organizations, the Kelowna Citizens for a New Performing Arts Centre Society, incorporated as a society on October 15, 2020. Known informally as Friends of KPAC, this 100% volunteer-driven organization was formed to support the creation of an exceptional Performing Arts Centre by 2026 in downtown Kelowna. Founding president Patricia Ainslie shares her passion for their mission and the benefits to the community.
“An iconic performing arts centre in Kelowna would serve the whole Okanagan, as it is only a ‘one-hour drive’,” explains Patricia. “We are working with Kelowna’s municipal government to advance a plan to replace the Kelowna Community Theatre and we are also enlisting the performing arts community and other stakeholders to foster broad-based and sustained business and public support for the project.”
“Volunteers have an enormous impact in helping to increase public support for the arts and for a new performing arts centre,” continues Patricia. “The more volunteers that would like to be part of this, the faster that support will grow… and the sooner we’ll see a new performing arts centre. The time commitment will depend on which committees you would like to join. Everyone has skills of some sort and together we would find your best “fit”. The most important pre-requisite is an appreciation for the performing arts and realizing how badly our community is in need of a real performing arts centre to replace our 60 year-old, 850-seat community theatre.”
Huge THANK YOU to our sponsors: the Central Okanagan Foundation, Interior Savings, the City of Kelowna, the Kelowna Capital News and Black Press and to BellMedia, including Virgin 99.9, Move 101.5 and Talk AM1150. Their commitment to volunteers and the community makes the Okanagan Volunteer Fair possible.
Dorothee Birker is the communications and development coordinator for KCR Community Resources. If you are interested in sharing your volunteer or organizational news, please contact Dorothee at [email protected].
This article was originally posted in the Kelowna Capital News. Read the original article, here.
For more information on Citizens for a New Performing Arts Centre in Kelowna, or to volunteer, please visit kelownaperformingarts.ca, follow us on Facebook @KCNPAC, or contact us at [email protected].