Photo: Contributed
The BC Care Providers Association has helped people earn rewarding careers without having to dig too deep into debt.
When the organization donated $25,000 to Okanagan College’s Our Students, Your Health campaign for the new Health Sciences Centre, the gift went towards funding eight students in the health care aide program. Those students are now caring for people in the community.
“When you get them a glass of water and take the time to hold their hand, especially when they can’t have many visitors, their entire mood changes,” graduate Shoshanna Fremont, who works with seniors in a long-term care home, said in a press release. “When I go home I take comfort that I took care of people today, I made them smile, or helped in whatever way I could.”
The bursary paid nearly the full tuition for selected individuals who were training to become health care assistants, which is an occupation the provincial government has cited as a priority. According to government officials, there are going to be 19,000 job openings in the field over the next decade.
“We’re pleased to help students who have the passion to care for the elderly but may not be able to afford the costs of education or have other family obligations,” incoming BC Care Providers Association CEO Terry Lake said.
All Get Involved Stories
