Northern Lights College (NLC) is pleased to announce they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Dawson Creek Kodiaks Junior B hockey team, putting the two organizations into a partnership to increase enrolment at NLC and financially support the Kodiak athletes with scholarships and bursaries.
“We want to do whatever we can to encourage these players to not only come to our region to play hockey, but provide the opportunity for them to study local and stay local,” says NLC President and CEO, Todd Bondaroff. “Over the years there have been former players that have come to NLC that have stayed in the community, they’ve started families and careers in Dawson Creek, and we want to see more of that.”
Colby Wagar, Head Coach and General Manager of the Kodiaks, says he’s been looking forward to this collaboration for some time.
“It’s huge for us,” he says. “When we go to recruitment camps where there’s 250 kids and 150 are eligible to play hockey and there’s 40 teams fighting over these kids, it’s a great piece to have in your back pocket when you sit down with parents and say that we have the support of our local college, it’s one of the best institutions in BC, and we can actually provide this opportunity for your family.”
As part of the MOU, the Northern Lights College Foundation is allocating a one-time financial contribution of $2,500 to start the Kodiaks Award Fund for future Kodiak players that become NLC students.
“We are so excited to create this relationship with the Dawson Creek Kodiaks, this will allow us as a College and Foundation to be able to support students who want to come to our community play for the Kodiaks and get an education,” says Lindsey Borek, executive director of the Northern Lights College Foundation. “At the Foundation one of our strategic pillars is to expand support and access for students, creating partnerships like this allow us to help our students on their lifelong journey of learning. We are truly grateful for this opportunity and look forward to watching it grow and evolve.”
The Kodiaks will host ‘NLC Nights’ during home games once a month, with discounted admission for students and staff, which will not only get NLC’s name out there to the public but will also show the Kodiaks they have the support of their community.
Photo Caption: Jessie Drew, NLC Vice President of People and Institutional Strategy; Todd Bondaroff, NLC President and CEO; Colby Wagar, Head Coach and General Manager of the Dawson Creek Kodiaks; and Lindsey Borek, Executive Director of the Northern Lights College Foundation, sign a Memorandum of Understanding between Northern Lights College and The Dawson Creek Kodiaks on November 16, 2022
Photo Credit: Northern Lights College
