Still more to celebrate in Kamloops this month! – Sponsored by Extreme Excavating.
Kamloops’ own Bonnie Cleland places third with Team Canada at the 2026 IDO World Tap Dance Championships in Prague, The Czech Republic. Bonnie writes, “My favourite moment came before the awards while we were waiting for the results. One of the younger dancers came over to tell us how inspiring she found us, being a group of busy women (many moms) still working hard and leaving it all out on the dance floor. That was exactly what I wanted out of this experience. Not just to prove to myself that I am a tap dancer (and gain some serious street cred) but to show that it isn’t ever too late to set a new goal, and work hard to achieve it. Dance can be a lifelong adventure . Huge thank yous to the choreographers, organizers, and my teammates!”
Huge congratulations to the winners of the 40th Annual Kamloops and District Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards:
Community Service Award: Progressive Planet — sponsored by City of Kamloops.
Retailer of the Year: 4 Generations Creations — sponsored by Andre’s Electronic Experts / TELUS.
Service Provider, 1 to 10 Staff: Kamloops Art Party — sponsored by Castanet Kamloops.
Service Provider, 11+ Staff: Tk̓emlúps Petro-Canada (560 Powwow Trail) — sponsored by I.T. ISIN Solutions.
Environmental Leadership: Progressive Planet — sponsored by Rocky Mountaineer.
Excellence in Trades: Electric Avenue Contracting Ltd. — sponsored by Teck Highland Valley Copper.
Inclusive Leadership: Kamloops Immigrant Services — sponsored by Open Door Group.
Innovation: Kamloops Hospice Association — sponsored by BCLC.
Indigenous Business Excellence: 4 Generations Creations — sponsored by Sc.wén̓wen Economic Development.
Not-For-Profit of the Year: Kamloops Immigrant Services — sponsored by Trans Mountain Corporation.
Emerging Business of the Year: Sweláps Market — sponsored by Community Futures Thompson Country.
Employer of the Year: Progressive Planet — sponsored by Interior Indigenous Community Futures.
Young Entrepreneur of the Year: Tatiana Sumina (Calibri Cleaning) — sponsored by Bob Gaglardi School of Business and Economics.
Small Business of the Year: 4 Generations Creations — sponsored by Venture Kamloops.
Business Person of the Year: Carly Schmidt (Kamloops Art Party) — sponsored by Generation Private Wealth, Harbourfront Wealth Management.
Business of the Year: Progressive Planet — sponsored by FIT Financial.
Lily Clark is still in her teenage years and she has been fundraising for the Kamloops Food bank for 15 years! Way to go Lily! Lilly, supported by amazing parents Darlene and Collin, is the founder of the non-profit Monkeys Charity Garage Sale (find it on Facebook). All proceeds from sales go directly to the Basics for Babies program at the Food Bank. The annual B100 Basic for Babies breakfast will be held on Nov. 20 at 8:15 a.m. at the Delta Hotel downtown.
Huge thanks to Lois Hollstedt, Sabar Investments, and the Fiddick Family for their recent donations to the Kamloops Local News Society. An example of what our donors help fund is the extensive civic election profiles in the last edition of the Chronicle. Call us at 250-851-9630 if you would like more information on how to donate!
Heartfelt Congratulations to Prakash Koirala for facilitating a values-based local financial literacy workshop for 13 children from the Nepalese-Canadian community. Big thanks to Sam Bregolis with the United Way and his team for helping fund this workshop through the Local Love Fund. Sam writes, “Stories like this are exactly why the Local Love Fund exists. It’s inspiring to see community members take an idea and turn it into meaningful opportunities for young people. By connecting financial literacy with values like gratitude, family, and community, this workshop created space for important conversations that can have a lasting impact. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and leadership with local youth and helping build a stronger, more connected Kamloops community.
Interested in bringing your own community-building idea to life? Applications for the Local Love Fund are open: https://lnkd.in/gm-z5Xry
Kamloops is an amazing community with a long-standing culture of kindness and looking out for one another. We need to talk about this more, give it more attention, and keep strengthening our collective goodness. We, at the Kamloops Chronicle, feel it’s so important to share good news regularly and that’s what this space is about. We encourage you to submit your good news by calling 250-851-9630, emailing us at [email protected] or sending us mail to PO Box 814, Station Main, Kamloops BC, V2C 5M8.