Kelly Loudoun has no regrets when he looks back at his decision to attend Okanagan College (OC) and study business, graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration Honours.
Kelly Loudoun with his sons, Leo and Cru.
"You can't deny the power of the OC business degree," says Loudoun, who owns Loudoun Construction and Development, now in its fifth year.
"Being an entrepreneur is difficult and it's a lot of hard work. Having been through those challenging experiences and lean years, it becomes quite rewarding as you attain a certain level of success."
Loudoun has been a longtime supporter of the college, having established an annual award and an endowment fund. Now the father of two is choosing to pay it forward to future students with a gift that recognizes the power of sport.
Loudoun is donating $25,000 to the Thrive Here campaign to build a Recreation and Wellness Centre at OC's Kelowna campus.
Sport is a passion for Loudoun. While attending OC, he missed the camaraderie of playing hockey compelling him to combine his passion with his entrepreneurial spirit, and in doing so, create OC's first hockey team. Loudoun managed and played with what was then the Okanagan College Coyotes hockey team for four seasons.
While Loudoun attests to the quality of education at OC, he believes a Recreation and Wellness Centre will help students learn lessons from a different kind of classroom.
"I find many lessons from sport apply to my business. The importance of showing up, trying to be a better version of myself each day and learning how to handle any challenge," Loudoun says.
Beyond the tenacity that sport teaches and the obvious physical and mental health benefits, Loudoun believes the Recreation and Wellness Centre will create a sense of belonging for students, who can connect and meet outside the academic classroom.
"Playing sports is a good way to build relationships and networks. My teammates were my best friends, I still have a lot of those connections today," he says.
Sasha Carter, manager of development for the Okanagan College Foundation, says she has known Loudoun for a number of years, and it is an honour to work with him on supporting a project that speaks to his beliefs.
"Kelly knows that the extending value of the Recreation and Wellness Centre is much more than a gym court and workout facility. It is a space that will forge skills of resiliency, teamwork and hard work," says Carter.
"I am so grateful to Kelly for his passion and appreciating the impact this Centre will have on students for generations to come."
Recognizing student health and wellness as a top priority, and since the Kelowna campus currently lacks a gymnasium, the Okanagan College Foundation launched the Thrive Here campaign, which has already successfully raised more than $10M towards its $14M goal to build a multi-purpose gym and fitness facility for students and the community.
To learn more about how you can help Okanagan College students and our community thrive, click here.
