The past month and a half have been momentous for the Edmonton Philippine International Centre (EPIC) as multiple milestones have taken place. For this article, we begin on April 10, 2023, where board members of EPIC and representatives from Sundance College signed a formal sponsorship agreement. As a columnist for our community paper, I joined along to witness this significant milestone and to learn more about this organization and what motivated them to make this arrangement.
Sundance College made a commitment to provide financial support to EPIC for several years. In
exchange, the college gets promoted at various events at the centre and will also get featured on the
website as a supporter of EPIC.
Sundance College is an educational institution founded in 2015. Since then, they expanded to a several
major cities in Canada including Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg and also offers their educational
programs online. They offer certificates on various programs such as healthcare, information technology
and business with a goal to fast track students towards a career.
I was fascinated by this display of relational and financial commitment, so I interviewed Dean Olsen, the
college’s president to understand them better.
They said that the goals and values of EPIC align with the college’s goal of supporting newcomers and
everyone in the Filipino community. As the college is new to the industry, building awareness is key so
they can communicate their commitment to student success.
For individuals, companies, or other funders who are considering sponsoring an organization or cause
that they believe in, Dean strongly encourages it. Building relationships with organizations like EPIC
reinforces their commitment to the community. They say that the benefit of a sponsorship
arrangement, especially ones that span a longer timeframe such as multiple years, is that it builds a
sense of ownership and partnership. It is a good thing to be long term oriented. It is a handshake of
commitment.
This is not the first time that the college supported EPIC. In 2020, they also sponsored EPIC’s first
community gathering to regain momentum to the initiative in the spring of 2020. When the Vehicle
Train parade took place in June 2020 for Philippine Heritage Month, Sundance College approached EPIC to offer a sponsorship. For this year, the relationship has been reinforced thanks to the relationship with Harlijk Mirasol a board member of EPIC.
Since the sponsorship agreement was signed, the board members and volunteers of EPIC had an exciting and busy rest of the month. Two separate dates in April were arranged for members of the community to clean the building in preparation for its operation and opening. Volunteers and the board are diligently promoting the centre and gathering support through donations and by collecting
memberships. Guests marveled at the building during the guided tours, witnessing the vision and its
potential in a tangible form.
In order for such an important goal to continue to be successful, all kinds of help are needed from
different members of the community. Individuals can volunteer and donate. Businesses and
organizations can partner and sponsor. We all can play a role in making this incredible community
investment a success and be part of the infrastructure that will make a positive impact to Filipinos in Edmonton, Alberta, and to all Edmontonians.