Red Deer College recently held a gathering to reveal the Red Deer College Alumni Association’s yearly publication – the Notebook.
The publication tells the stories of many of former Red Deer College students who are making a difference in their careers both locally and abroad. Former RDC students and local success stories Cory Kaun of Larkaun Homes and Ryan Smith of Nexus Energy Technologies both spoke at the event and are featured in the publication.
Smith, who is featured on the cover of the Notebook, sees the advantages of keeping local talent in the community for the entire duration of their educational experience.
“Red Deer College allowed me to have the engineering base to be able to get there,” he said. “We also employ machinists, welders and a lot of other tradespeople who have attended Red Deer College. I am not really wired for the big city and I truly believe the one year I did here gave me an advantage to make the transition. To be able to stay in Red Deer would have been a huge advantage.”
The publication also provides an update on what has taken place at the College throughout the previous year including the ongoing construction of the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.
The College also formally introduced their Paving our Future campaign on Friday, which allows anyone to purchase a paving stone leading up to the new centre.
Harris, who donated $5 million to the Canada Games Centre, was present for the proceedings and was pleased to see the construction progress.
“I am very pleased with the project and that we are on time, on schedule and on budget,” he said. “It can be hard when you are looking at drawings to visualize how it will be built, but it is very impressive. I am very proud of it and it is a legacy for me and my family. I am little bit humbled, but I am glad that I could be a catalyst to get the project moving ahead.”
Harris, who spent his first year of post-secondary at RDC, is one of the many alumni who have given back to the community, according to RDC President Joel Ward.
“The alumni are a very important part of our institution and we continue to grow the numbers of our alumni and we bring folks back that have started their careers at Red Deer College,” Ward said. “This project – Paving our Future – is another example of the great contribution they make to our institution over time.”
The $500 per stone project is part of an overall RDC effort to raise $30 million for the Gary W. Harris Canada Games Centre.
“We are at 50 per cent of our target,” he said “Our target was $30 million and we around $15 million that we have announced. We have a few more announcements this fall. We will continue to work on that campaign and we believe we will be in great shape when we open the building. We are on time, on budget.”
Ward added for those who are thankful for their experience at RDC, the paving stone project is a way to, “Cement that legacy.
“There is a lot of love in this community for this College from people who have had great experiences,” he said. “This is an opportunity to have their name etched in the legacy of this College with the paving stones. The stones are about $500. I bought the first one and I think it is an extraordinary opportunity for people to cement their legacy. There are 1,500 stones, they are half gone and there is one more month (to purchase). They go very quickly.
Meanwhile, Harris added the centre is, “A fantastic, world-class, top-drawer facility and I hope that people from Central Alberta and Red Deer get a chance to see it once it is further along.”
