Out of the Ashes
OUT OF THE ASHES Bursary
The Out of the Ashes (OOTA) bursary was initiated in 2007 as a prevention initiative by Leann Kopytko, a youth counsellor working in the Raven Program with Day One Society. The vision of the OOTA bursary is to provide educational support to a young person in Kamloops with a minimum of one year recovery time, the brainchild of Ron Kopytko, Leann's late husband, who shared her passion for helping youth who struggle with lifestyle issues.
It began with a donation from six independent businesspeople in Kamloops. The Society’s Board of Directors matched the donation and the first bursary of $2500 was awarded in 2008. The first recipient became a paramedic and the second works at Thompson Rivers University. In 2022, donations reached OVER $100,000 and 47 bursaries have been awarded to date.
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If you would like to donate to the bursary, please click here
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If you are interested in learning more and applying for the bursary, CLICK HERE.
"The support of the community ... is overwhelming; to know I am supported by my community and to see the compassion of my fellow members of society is truly heartwarming. Thanks to the ongoing support, emotional and financial, I am able to work towards my goal of becoming an RN.”
(Andrea H. — Out of the Ashes Bursary recipient)