Account Login/Registration

Access KelownaNow using your Facebook account, or by entering your information below.


Facebook


OR


Register

Privacy Policy

In Focus | Wilma Lepin of Gifts to Grandmothers

In Focus is our gift to the community. A way for us to help show our recognition for the people, businesses and organizations that help make our city great. The team at KelownaNow.com is passionate about this community and the people that make it amazing. We want to show our friends, neighbours, family and colleagues that we notice them and the fabulous things that they do.

What is your name?
Wilma Lepin

What do you always find yourself saying?
"Oh my gosh."

If you could spend one whole day with anyone in the world who is currently alive, who would you select and why?
My sons and grandchildren, I don't get to see enough of our sons as they are busy with their work and family's. Also our granddaughters who live on the coast.

If you were to receive any existing public award, what award would you like to win?
Not much on awards but am very proud of the money Gifts to Grandmothers have raised for their projects in Africa.
I love to paint but never feel it is good enough. Maybe an award to say "You're pretty good".

If you could spend a day with any historical figure, who would you choose and why?
Jesus. Self explanatory.

Who inspires you?
Carli Travers and Vida Yakong - two extraordinary women who are making a difference in an area in Uganda and Ghana.

What are three things on your bucket list?
Travel, travel, travel!

If you had an enormous yacht, what would you name it?
Opulence.

If you could foresee a single day of your future in its entirety, what date would you select?
Summertime on our dock watching our sons and their families enjoy the beautiful Okanagan Lake and doing all their water sports.

What are you passionate about?
My faith, my family, helping those less fortunate, and doing my art.

What has been your favourite day of your life, up to this point?
The day my son was born.

What has been your proudest accomplishment?
So proud of our two sons. Proud to be part of Gifts to Grandmothers

Where is your favourite place to dine in Kelowna? What do you like about it?
Yamas. Love the Greek food.

What is your favourite activity or event in Kelowna? Why?
Swimming in the lake. It's an awesome feeling.

What is the name of your business/organization?
Gifts to Grandmothers

What does your business/organization do?
Sew bags and other products to sell to fund raise for our projects in Africa.

Where can people find you or your business online?
www.giftstograndmothers.com

Where can people find your business on Facebook?
Gifts to Grandmothers

What is your mission?
Our mission is simple but can make profound differences in many lives. We strive to enable grandmothers, widows, and orphaned children the ability to sustain themselves by giving them a hand up through loans for small business, leased land, seed, and tools for farming and livestock. Reduce their suffering by providing decent shelter, medical assistance, and feeding programs. Encouragement by funding community programs and a place to gather. Education is also a priority with Gifts to Grandmothers and currently we sponsor 21 children and young adults from primary to university.

If you could achieve one thing within your field, what would it be?
We have achieved that one thing - by seeing a woman able to sustain a living and provide for her children/grandchildren. But one is not enough, we want to achieve this one thing many times over.

Where do you want your business/organization to be in five years?
Many more of these "one things" mentioned above.

Who do you consider to be a forerunner within your field?
Vida Yakong and Carli Travers.

What three qualities do you feel that your business/organization exemplifies?
Passion, love, and hard work.

What would you like to say to your employees/volunteers?
I would like to read another letter from one of the young people we have helped support through education, I would like to show another picture "before" and "after' of a child that is getting fed regularly... That is what our volunteers like to hear. That is our fuel.

How does your business/organization impact the community?
We have amazing camaraderie with one another. All sharing a passion for the same thing and working hard for our projects. We don't just ask for donations and wait around to get them (though really appreciate them when we do) but actively run a "business like" venture to make money. 100 per cent of all profits go to our projects. I feel we have set an example as to how a group such as ours, runs and this has impressed those who know about us.

If you were trapped in an elevator with several wealthy investors from any field, which field would you want them to be experts in?
What would say to them/talk about? Installation of water systems, sustainable farming methods in poor soil, job creation, availability of affordable medical treatment and drugs, better education, gender equality to name a few.

If I could change one thing about Kelowna, it would be:
Make Westside Road safe, wider and straighter. (I live 13 km. up that road)

What do you think makes Kelowna great?
The lake.

My choice for the Kelowna In Focus spotlight is:
Gifts to Grandmothers

Some general comments I would like to share are:
Gifts to Grandmothers ensure absolute accountability through our "on the ground" contacts. Anything anyone can give towards supporting Gifts to Grandmothers means they are supporting numerous women and children in Africa. Their donation is giving them the opportunity to become educated and independent. The power of small donations are real. Every contribution makes a difference. 100 per cent of purchases go towards our projects, all donations receive a tax receipt.
Gifts to Grandmothers will have a booth at the Prospera Place Christmas Sale on Saturday, December 13th and Sunday, December 14th. Would love to have the community come out and support us with purchases of our products. They are the gifts that keep on giving with all proceeds going to our projects.
For those out of town, we now have our beautiful designer totes available for sale on line on our website.

We encourage you to leave your comments and words of support below, and submit your own nomination by clicking HERE. You are also welcome to submit a form of your own by clicking HERE. Thank you, Kelowna!



If you get value from KelownaNow and believe local independent media is important to our community we ask that you please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter.

If you appreciate what we do, we ask that you consider supporting our local independent news platform.


Weather
webcam icon

weather-icon
Fri
12℃

weather-icon
Sat
12℃

weather-icon
Sun
15℃

weather-icon
Mon
17℃

weather-icon
Tue
16℃

weather-icon
Wed
12℃

current feed webcam icon

Recent Livestream




Top Stories

Follow Us

Follow us on Instagram Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Follow us on Linkedin Follow us on Youtube Listen on Soundcloud Follow Our TikTok Feed Follow Our RSS Follow Our pinterest Feed
Follow Our Newsletter
Privacy Policy

Quick Links