Student video highlights homelessness in Kelowna

KELOWNA – A group of Okanagan College students have produced a video telling the stories of four formerly homeless people from the Okanagan.

The video follows Mickey, Ryan, Geoff and Colleen.

“These are all people who have experienced homelessness in the past,” says Inn From the Cold spokesperson Tara Tschritter.

The video was made by Okanagan College marketing students Arianne Summache and Kelly Stone in collaboration with Inn From the Cold and Render Digital Media.

“(The students) wanted to do a project and we were hoping that they could do some social media stuff for us,” Tschritter says. “This is what they came up with.”

The video features an original song called “Included” written and performed by Ryan Dumas, one of the subjects of the film. It is meant to not only raise awareness of the homeless problem in the Okanagan but also to promote an upcoming fundraising event.

The third annual Arthur Cottie Push to End Homelessness is a shopping cart race and barbecue. On June 14, participants will meet at Inn From the Cold to decorate their carts before heading to Kerry Park where they will compete in an Amazing Race style challenge through Kelowna.

“We’ve got various partners so there will be a variety of things like flipping burgers and making announcements on the radio, that kind of thing,” she says.

Prizes will be awarded for the team with the most pledges, the top finishers and the best decorated cart.

The goal is for each team to raise $1,000, enough to sponsor one guest for a month and a half.

You can register your team by visiting the Inn From the Cold website.

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To contact the reporter for this story, email Adam Proskiw at aproskiw@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-0428. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.