Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Rotary Club of Kelowna Ogopogo

The Rotary Club of Kelowna Ogopogo is one of the largest Rotary clubs in Kelowna, organized in 1993 and supported by over 40 members. In addition to hands-on volunteer service, the club and its charitable foundation act as a community funder, channeling money raised through events, campaigns and Rotary district grants into high‑impact projects in Kelowna and abroad. Funding priorities include health, education, youth and welfare, with a focus on vulnerable populations and environmental sustainability.

The club’s philanthropic committees and Charitable Foundation direct resources toward issues such as homelessness, hunger, social injustice, gender inequality, access to education, environmental challenges, and the needs of recent immigrants and low‑income residents. Support is delivered mainly as financial contributions and project funding to qualified charities, community organizations and Rotary partners.

Locally, the club funds and supports initiatives like the Child & Youth Advocacy Centre of Kelowna, Elevation Outdoors’ youth programs, Camp OAC, Salvation Army’s holiday kettle campaign and the Okanagan Food Bank. It also runs a free Community Tax Clinic under the CRA’s CVITP program, helping low‑income individuals and families access benefits and credits by filing tax returns.

Internationally, the club has an active International Committee that has successfully secured Rotary District grants almost every year. Through these and its own fundraising, it finances projects such as the Chispa Project school libraries in Honduras, WASH and sanitation upgrades in El Salvador, women‑led micro‑schools via the Amarok Society, and student sponsorships and programming through H.E.L.P. Honduras.

To sustain its giving, Ogopogo Rotary organizes several annual fundraising events, including a charity whisky tasting, the "Fancy Pants" golf tournament, online silent auctions, firewood sales, apple pie sales and community festivals. Event proceeds are directed to named beneficiaries such as the Okanagan College Foundation, CYAC Kelowna, and to a broader portfolio of Rotary local and international projects.

Funding and service activities primarily benefit residents of the Kelowna area—especially children and youth, low‑income households, seniors, newcomers, people facing homelessness or food insecurity, and groups working for environmental protection. Internationally, the club targets communities with limited access to education, sanitation and economic opportunity. By combining volunteer action with targeted financial support and leveraging Rotary’s district and global grants, the Rotary Club of Kelowna Ogopogo plays a meaningful role in the regional and international charitable funding ecosystem.