Paddlers Success Stories

Welcome to one of our favourite places on the site, on this page we will show you that our plan is working. Trips completed and photos of Paddlers in action and the thoughts of those that we help for your reading pleasure just as we received them. Would be the grandest of pleasures to include you as a member with a great story of a successful trip or fund raiser.

We feel it is important for folks to see what their donations do and this is where we show that. Funds that are raised within Yellowknife are used to promote local activities such as the winter pool sessions and free public swims. All funds collected in the way of donations towards a thousand mile trip are receipted by the Kidney Foundation and and the funds go there to promote the Paddlers Bursary fund and the General Foundation Fund. As we grow we will branch out and offer more services locally and contribute to the Kidney Foundation General research fund as well.

A recent article from the Kidney News and Views

The KidneyFoundation Newsletter

Future Paddlers in action Splashbash session

We like to start them young so they will be ready when we're not

Paddlers Bursary Recipients

We have listed below the names of our Bursary recipients and where and what they study. These are mature students and we wish them well in their chosen field. You will find pictures of these folks scattered through out the site so just keep looking.

Omar Urquahart, August / 2001, Computer Graphics, Grant Mcewan College

Brenda Hasler, June / 2002, Computer Accounting, Norquest College

Lorraine Villeneuve, 2002, Drug and Alcohol Counsellor Program, North Lake College

Lenka Cerny, August / 2003, Bachelor of Adminstration, Grande Prairie College and Athabasca University

Stephenie Bicari / 2003, Wildrose College of Natural Healing Edmonton, Alberta

Darryl Bryan, Hay River / April 2003, Northen Alberta Institute of Technology, Edmonton Alberta. Business Adminstration Program

Christine Adam / 2003, Licensed Practical Nurse, Wetaskiwin, AB.

Christopher Figliuzzi bursaries 2003 and 2004

Christopher was awarded a Paddlers bursary in May 2003 for Education
Transfer Program at Grant McEwan College. He lives in St Albert, Alberta,
and at the time of the award, was on hemodialysis while waiting for a
transplant. Chris's long term goal is to teach elementary school. He
believes that his personal experiences have made him empathic to the needs
of others and will help him become an excellent educator.

Vashti and Greg "Paddlin for Parts", at the put in

FT. Providence, NWT, 1000 miles to go

Missions Accomplished to date

Pedal for Parts 2000 Yellowknife / Edmonton Bicycle Ride

Paddle for Parts 2001 Ft. Providence NT. / Inuvik, NT.via Mackenzie River

Waterwalker Film Festival 2002

Sir John Franklin High School Organ / Tissue Donation Presentation by the Kidney Foundation 2002

Waterwalker Film Festival 2003

Yellowknife River Bridge Sociable 2004

Yellowknife Adopt a Street Program 2004 We have been selected and are now responsible for keeping the Olde Stope Hill area litter free

Splashbash 3 We managed to provide almost 20 hours of pool time for the local kayakers and canoeist and the want to bes as well , great fun 2004/5

Waterwalker 3 third annual Waterwalker and Donor Awareness events, 2005

Bursary Awarded to Loni Wells. 2004

Loni is studying at the Word of life Bible College and hopes to work full time within the Ministery upon compeletion of her studys. Loni lived with long term Renal problems and is putting her new lease on life to great use and the Paddler's wish her well.

I Bursary to Roy Dringenberg, January 2005

Roy is the first recipient of the year and is using the bursary to complete his Grade Twelve English. Roy is studying through the Alberta Long Distance learning program . Roy hopes to boost his confidence and improve his communication skills. Glad we could help Roy.

Greg awards Omar the first Paddlers Bursary Award

RCL Kingsway, Edmonton, AB. September 2001

Bursaries awarded to Kristna Lumbis of Reddeer Alberta

The Paddlers have issued two bursaries to Kristna who has been attending the Word of Life Bible College for the fall and spring semesters of 2006/07. We were pleased to be able to help and hope that Kristna does well . Looking forward to hearing from her and seeing how life is treating her.

Fall Semester Bursary given out September 2007

Barb Foxall of the Kidney Foundation Edmonton office has just informed me that we have issued another Bursary. The award went to a women from Edmonton who chooses to remain unknown at this time. She is attending Grant MacEwan College and we wish her wellin her chosen course of study.

The Paddlers are glad that the funds we make available are being used and we hope that those who receive the bursaries work hard and do well. Paddling the miles becomes easier when you know things are doing someone some good.

Paddler's Honours to date

Capital Health Award to Greg Loftus for "Pedal for Parts 2000"

Kidney Foundation Branch President Award Greg Loftus "Paddle for Parts 2001"

Patti Woods Kidney Foundation's "Roy Tellier Memorial Award", Promotion of Organ and Tissue Donor Card Program North of Sixty ( Thanks Patti )

Greg Loftus Dominated for "Volunter of the Year Award" 2005

Christine Bursary Recipient and her family

Husband Cory and the young fella, Quinton

Please meet Christine Adam and her Family. We have awarded the bursary to Christine so that she may persue her goals. She is presently retraining as a Licensed Practical Nurse, throught the Norquest distance learning programme while studing at her home in Ponoka. Christine is presently on Hemodailysis in Wetaskiwin, Albetra. As always the Paddler's wish her fair winds and smooth sailing as she follows her dream.

Hawkeye's Nitro Rocket Drag crew

great support from this crew in Edmonton, AB.

"Paddler's For Parts" Bursary Fund

We were very pleased after completing the second thousand mile journey on behalf of the Kidney Foundation, when informed we would be allowed to chose how the money would be used. We came up with the Paddler's Bursary Fund for mature students and so far we are pleased with the results. Our decisions were based on the difficulties encountered after reaching the age of majority. At this point in the lives of those effected much of the funding is no longer available and so we step in and attempt to help in our small way. the recipents are listed above and you will find their pictures scattered through out the site, so continue to surf the site.

The Fund is open to all that live in the NWT, Nunuvat, Yukon and Northern Alberta, as this is where most of the donations come from. Should you be a mature student living with Kidney disease in these areas, please apply we would like to help. We offer Bursaries of 500.00 dollars for those south of Sixty and 1,000.00 dollars for those north of Sixty.

Please contact Angelie McCarron at the Edmonton Office of the Kidney Foundation for complete details. To date we have given eleven bursaries away and would now like to introduce you to those folks.