An Okanagan College professor has successfully walked the valley and raised funds for a student.
Tim Walters, an English instructor in Salmon Arm, recently walked between the Penticton and Salmon Arm campuses in support of Enderby resident Gary Baker, who sustained a severe brain aneurism. So far, Walters has raised almost $12,000.
“The reality is that none of this could have happened had I not been surrounded by remarkably kind people who were positively eager to volunteer their time and energy,” said Walters.
“More people are more kind, and more compassionate, and more motivated by righteous solidarity than I could possibly have imagined.”
Baker has been in hospital in Vancouver since Aug. 1 and his wife Erica and four children have been at his side. That means finances are extremely tight — especially because the couple both recently returned to school to pursue new careers.
“Thank you so much Tim and the entire OC community,” said Erica.
“Gary and I have always boasted about how exceptional the college was. I am so proud to be known as an OC alumni. This money allows us to have a little extra breathing room during a time when finances are the last thing I want to be focusing on,” she said.
Walters’ route stretched between the Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, and Salmon Arm college campuses for a total of 160 kilometres, and he completed the walk, as planned, in three days.
“I learned that I love to walk, like really love to walk, but I already knew that, and I got to deepen my sense that we live in a hypnotically beautiful part of the world,” he said.
The donation site — www.gofundme.com/campustocampus — will remain open for a few more days.