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 $100,000 and 45 bursaries have been awarded to date.
If you would like to donate to the bursary, please click here
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)