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Paula Quinn was only seven years old when she first stepped onto a running track but that experience with athletics dramatically changed her life.

Quinn is the former Executive Director of the KF Aerospace Centre for Excellence and is active in the Kelowna community sitting on four volunteer boards including the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce, Regional District of Central Okanagan, B.C. Cancer Foundation and the Airport Advisory Committee.

Quinn is now among a growing number of local residents putting their support behind the Thrive Here campaign to build a Recreation and Wellness Centre at ���߲���Ƶ Kelowna campus, and in doing so support OC students to have more opportunities to engage in sport.

”From that first experience on the track, throughout my years focusing on my family and my career, sports was always with me. It gave me the confidence to pursue opportunities and work hard. Those lessons have always stuck with me,” she says.

Quinn grew up with her mother and two sisters in London, England. Her mother struggled with depression, and her family lived in poverty. Quinn and her sisters learned to be independent from a young age.

At seven years old, Quinn began to take the long journey to London’s Olympic Stadium where on Friday nights kids who could not afford formal sport programs could receive free coaching in track and field.

It was on the track that Quinn experienced her first taste of accomplishment, running faster than the other kids. That experience would spark something inside Quinn, something she hadn't felt before — a sense of pride in who she was.

“When you come from a single parent family and you are pushed and bullied by other kids, you can feel inferior, even pointless,” recalls Quinn. “But when you put on your trainers, it gives you a reason to believe that you are not your surroundings. That essence of me was found in sports.”

Not wanting to diminish the opportunity she was given with free coaching, Quinn began practising hurdles and the 200 metre every day after school.

Quinn's grandmother, Kathleen, who was one of the few stable relationships in her life, believed in her and recognized her potential. She wanted Quinn to realize all that she was and to encourage her. She bought Quinn her first pair of brand-new, red leather running shoes.

“I can still remember the box and the smell of those leather shoes, and I won the county championship,” recalls Quinn. “I was so proud of myself. That feeling of doing well and proving that I could do something. I thought I did it because of the boots, but it was for her.”

Quinn started working at the age of 15 but the confidence and commitment she learned from sport stayed with her, contributing to her leadership and community involvement today.

Prior to immigrating to Canada, Quinn started a transport company with her husband. In Canada, she received her paralegal diploma and managed an executive office. She joined Kelowna Flightcraft (KF) in 2008 as an executive assistant to Barry Lapointe. Quinn worked at KF for more than 15 years including helping create and then lead the KF Centre for Excellence.

The ���߲���Ƶ Foundation has raised $10 million towards its $14 million goal to build the first ever gymnasium at its Kelowna campus. The OC Foundation is inviting the community to impact students’ lives through sport and recreation, setting them up for success in their personal and professional lives.

To learn more, visit Okanagan.bc.ca/thrivehere.