Kristin (Postill) Holomis and Brittney Page will take part in their seventh annual Stand Up For charity paddle on July 20 on Kalamalka Lake. (submitted photo)

By Pete McIntyre

Stand Up For

Annual charity paddle raises funds for new child care centre at college

Jul 10, 2024 | 3:00 PM

Two local women who like to paddleboard will be raising money for the newest child care facility in Vernon for their 2024 charity event.

Long-time friends Kristin (Postill) Holomis and Brittney Page take to Kalamalka Lake for their seventh annual “Stand Up For…” paddleboard fundraising challenge on Saturday, July 20.

The funds raised will go to the Sunflower Child Care Centre that will open at the Vernon campus of Okanagan College this fall.

The centre looks to address the critical shortage of affordable child care spaces in the North Okanagan that can prevent parents from pursuing post secondary education. The centre will support 44 kids, specifically 24 infants and 20 three to five-year-olds. It will be run and managed by Maven Lane, a local non-profit who have been providing high-quality care, education and recreational programming for children in our community since 1994.

Holomis and Page say the numbers don’t lie.

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“51 per cent of parents are waitlisted for childcare and subsequently spend two years on those waitlists. Many parents’ educational ambitions are often delayed or even halted by the shortage of local childcare providers. Staggeringly, parent students who have childcare are three times more likely to graduate, allowing them to fulfil their goals and seek better, more stable careers for their young families,” a news release from the paddlers stated.

Page and Holomis have raised over $156,000 for various groups in their first six events, including the Okanagan Rail Trail Initiative, KidSport Okanagan, The People Place, Archway Society, Starfish Pack and most recently North Okanagan Youth and Family Services Society.

The pair paddle the length of Kalamalka Lake, which is about 18 kilometres.

Their goal this year is to raise $25,000.

“We are so excited to paddle this year for The Sunflower Centre. As a daughter of a single mother with three kids who went back to school while we were young, this is not only something I can relate to but I can personally attest to the better life she was able to provide for us based on her education,” Page said. “The Sunflower Centre will offer this opportunity to students in need and the community will be better for it.”

The money raised will be used to help outfit the centre with items such as bikes, wooden toys, puzzles, kid’s cots, sensory table, books and bookshelves.

“We are so thrilled that Brittney and Kristin have chosen the Sunflower Child Care Centre as their cause this year. We believe in the power of education, to transform lives, and we know that a big barrier for our parents can be that they do not have safe and affordable childcare. We are so excited for July 20, and seeing all the smiling and happy faces on the water,” Sasha Carter, Manager of Advancement for Okanagan College Foundation, said.

To make a donation, visit the Canada Helps website.