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Hamilton Spectator
5 days ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
Hundreds of students explore healthcare careers at travelling roadshow
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — Students from School District 60 got a slice of what possible careers the field of healthcare could yield at a two-day event in Fort St. John. Grade 10 and 11 students from North Peace Secondary School (NPSS) took part in the Healthcare Travelling Roadshow on May 26th and 27th. Introduced in 2010 by Dr. Sean Maurice of the medical program at Prince George's University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), the event had a dual purpose for both the college and high school students involved. The high school students got to see potential opportunities, while the college-aged undergraduates got a glimpse of the rural community they could be serving when they enter the workforce. Maurice says the event focuses on kids from rural communities who face 'more barriers' in their post-secondary lives. 'In a lot of [rural] places where there are a lot of blue-collar jobs,' says Maurice, '[where] you don't necessarily need to have post-secondary education. '[Then there's] a lot of kids who have parents who aren't familiar with post-secondary. 'If you feel you need to go to Vancouver for university, it's just far away. It feels very different. So we're just trying to help get them over that barrier.' Brian Campbell of School District 60 told approximately 200 students from NPSS took part to see 'what potential careers' they could consider after graduation. Campbell is the district principal of careers and international education. 'The more that we can expose students to potential careers, the better they're going to be able to make informed choices of what they want to do,' said Campbell. 'The healthcare field is so wide, [NPSS students] could talk to students who are studying in [that] field and get to try some things hands on.' Students from UNBC demonstrated the opportunities available in careers such as medicine, nursing, psychiatric nursing, dental hygiene, laboratory technology, midwifery, kinesiology, biomedical engineering and respiratory therapy. 'I think it's really important for students to realize that they can have the opportunity to train in the north and stay in the north,' said Campbell. 'That really helps build strong northern communities.' The roadshow has made regular trips to Fort St. John since its beginnings in 2010. It will also make trips to both Dawson Creek and Tumbler Ridge during the last week of May, according to a news release. The Healthcare Travelling Roadshow was also funded in part by partnership with the Northern Medical Programs Trust, Rural Education Action Plan, Interior Health, UNBC, and University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine. It has exposed more than 16,500 students to the wonders of the healthcare field, according to the release. More details about the Healthcare Travelling Roadshow can be found on its website .
CBC
25-02-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Volunteer Dick Voneugen, giant of Prince George sports scene, dead at 92
A longtime volunteer and athlete who is the only person to be named Prince George's Citizen of the Year twice has died. Dick Voneguen, 92, was born in Holland in 1932 and emigrated to Canada in 1956, eventually settling in Prince George where he worked as an electronics salesperson servicing the growing forestry industry. His true passion, though, was sport, and he quickly established himself as a key figure in the local scene, helping found the still-active Prince George Roadrunners running club, building trails and facilities at the Otway Nordic cross-country ski centre and starting the Outdoor Ice Oval committee. The ski club is now a regular training ground and host to international competitions. Voneugen was a familiar face at events ranging from the Kid's Fun Triathlon to the B.C. Senior Games, often starting races or cheering on competitors by blowing through first a logging truck air horn and later a vuvuzela gifted to him by a student from South Africa who was studying at UNBC. He also helped run the Prince George to Boston Marathon (now the Labour Day Classic), where, in 1979, he met Terry Fox. Fox used the run as a testing ground for his famous Marathon of Hope in 1980, which saw him attempt to run across the country on an artificial leg to raise money for cancer research. Afterward, Voneugen established the city's annual Terry Fox Run, which has raised thousands of dollars toward Fox's original goal, with participants tracing the same path he ran in 1979. In a 2014 interview published in the Prince George Citizen, Voneugen said that late in his career, he was asked to move to Vancouver, but he opted to retire rather than leave the city he called home. "Friends have asked me if I'd ever consider moving away from Prince George to a warmer climate," he is quoted as saying. "I have great friends here; we can enjoy four wonderful seasons and get to anything we like within 15 minutes of driving. So my answer is a resounding no." News of his death was shared by Robin Draper, who worked with Voneugen to establish and manage trails at the Cranbrook Hill Greenway. He said that until recently, Voneugen was in good health and that a medical team ensured that he was comfortable in his last moments. "Dick had a rewarding long life and will be missed by many," he said. A celebration of life will be held in the spring.
