The Okanagan Sun Scholarship Fund has grown a lot bigger thanks to a donation from the Scotiabank Group.
During a special cheque presentation Thursday, Scotiabank donated $9,280 to the Sun Scholarship Fund after balloon sales at the Scholarship Dinner back in the fall. The balloon sales at the dinner were matched by Scotiabank.
The Sun Scholarship Fund has helped over 100 student athletes continue their education in just four years of existence.
“It means a lot,” says Sun President Paul Carson. “The money that Scotiabank has been able to raise for us for the Scholarship Fund is a big part of the Okanagan Sun now and for the future. It certainly means a lot of funding for student athletes for our team.”
On average $1,500 helps a single player to further his education while playing football for the Sun. It’s also a large recruiting tool when the club is looking at bringing a player to Kelowna. “At the end of the day,” Carson continues, “we like to think this is also leading us towards our goal of eventually partnering with the University, of which we’ll need a lot more Scholarship funding , but this is a great start for attracting student athletes and it definitely works as a tool we use in recruiting.”
This is the third consecutive year Scotiabank has been involved with the Sun Scholarship Fund as Scotiabank’s Director and Group Leader Cary Lehmberg says it’s a very good relationship. “This program is a very good fit for us certainly the combination of amateur athletics along with academics is a good fit for us and we’re hopeful that these funds will help players make a difference both on the playing field as well as in the classroom.”
In the three years Scotiabank has been involved, nearly $30,000 has been donated to the Okanagan Sun Scholarship Fund.
