The organization has delivered lifelong learning opportunities to older residents in the community since 1999. As part of the festivities, CVEC presented a cheque for $35,000 to set up an endowment with the North Island College Foundation. It has donated more than $163,000 to NIC bursaries over the years.
For the celebration, ElderCollege invited numerous guests, including elected officials, past chairs, instructors and students in the program. The efforts of founders Elizabeth Smith and Betty Emery were also recognized. Smith has passed away but was represented by her husband Phil. Emery was unable to attend, but NIC Foundation chair and event MC Sandra Harrison read a statement from Emery’s son, saying they were elated to hear how ElderCollege is thriving.
Current chair John North spoke about how the Comox Valley chapter is one of the largest in the country, having grown from around a hundred members when it started. While the pandemic affected attendance for a time, the enrolment numbers have come back.
“We’ve now got a thousand members again,” North said. “We look forward to many, many years of working together with the college.”
The program has even served as a means of promoting the area. NIC President and CEO Lisa Domae noted that she hears raves from people all over the province.
“Without fail, someone tells me they were drawn to the Comox Valley because of ElderCollege,” she said, adding that NIC has learned much from its partnership with CVEC.
Other speakers included Comox Valley Elder in Residence Fernanda Paré who welcomed everyone; Bob Haugen, Continuing Education and Training director, who highlighted the range of programs CVEC offers; Marvin Haave who spoke on behalf of CVEC course leaders and read an updated version of a piece he wrote for the 20th anniversary; and Diane Naugler, NIC Foundation executive director, who talked about how ElderCollege is a model of community service and resilience.
CVEC is also holding an information session at the Stan Hagen Theatre on Saturday, Sept. 14, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
