OC honours Bono, Thorpe, Waunch as builders
A trio of community builders – all champions for different causes – are being recognized this year by Okanagan College with the institution’s highest commendation.
Mollie QuilQuil Sneena Bono, an advocate for Aboriginal peoples, Rick Thorpe, a public servant, and Patrick Waunch, a construction leader, are to be named Honorary Fellows of Okanagan College in June.
Bono is a School District 22 trustee, a recipient of the Community Leadership Award (2017) in Vernon, and an mentor for the Social Planning Council.
She has served several terms as a council member of the Okanagan Indian Band and has also served as a member of Okanagan College’s Vernon campus regional advisory council.
“I’m honored that the college has chosen to acknowledge my life’s work to bridge cultures,” said Bono. “I have witnessed positive changes and appreciate that the college community is looking for new and creative programs that meet the needs of students and support the further success of Indigenous students.”
Waunch is the president and CEO of Rambow Mechanical Ltd. He is a recipient of the Canadian Construction Association’s Community Leader Award, and has a long association with Okanagan College as chairman of the program advisory committee, helping fundraise for the new trades complex in Kelowna, and being an active donor to the college.
“I have witnessed the investments of time, energy and resources that have led to OC becoming B.C.’s second-largest trades training institution and know the impact that has had on the construction community of our region,” he said. “I’ll wear the title of Honorary Fellow proudly.”
Thorpe was an MLA from 1996 to 2009, representing the Okanagan-Penticton and Okanagan Westside ridings and serving in cabinet for eight years.
Before his election, Thorpe held several executive positions in the brewing industry and he was involved in the B.C. grape and wine industry.
After retiring from the B.C. Legislature, Thorpe served on a number of boards, including ICBC, Canadian Snowbirds Association and Heart and Stroke Foundation of British Columbia and Yukon.
His wife, Yasmin Thorpe, was named an honorary fellow in 2012 for promoting children’s literacy.