Well-Known Kelowna Family Donates $50,000 to Okanagan College

A Kelowna family will help to ensure that future generations of skilled trades workers in the Okanagan receive a quality education, thanks to the family's generous donation to Okanagan College.

The Serwa family has donated $50,000 to the Bright Horizons Building for Skills fundraising campaign, which will help to support the construction of a state-of-the-art classroom space in the new trades tower along KLO Road.

The Serwa family. Photo Credit: contributed.

“This community has been good to us and we’re very proud to be able to give back and support an institution that continues to have such a far reaching impact on students from all walks of life in the Okanagan,” said Cliff Serwa. “Whether it’s supporting students fresh out of high school, or mature students, or single parents going back to school to find employment so they can support their families, the opportunities Okanagan College creates valley-wide are truly invaluable.”

“We are sincerely grateful to Cliff and Lois Serwa for this generous investment in our students’ futures,” said Okanagan College President Jim Hamilton. “Support like this sends a strong message to our students that there are people in the community who believe in their potential and want to see them succeed.”

Beyond their recent donation, the Serwa family has also established an annual bursary for students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education program.

“The value of a gift lies not in its price but in its potential,” commented Lois Serwa.

The Bright Horizons Building for Skills campaign complex launched in October 2014. The College is aiming to raise $5 million for capital construction costs and $2 million for program and student support. The provincial government has also committed $28 million for this project.

Cliff Serwa is well-known for co-founding Big White Ski Resort and for his work as a B.C. politician. The couple's granddaughter, Kelsey Serwa, is a world-class freestyle skier and was a silver medallist at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.