Kamloops, We Need You 💙
An Invitation to the Most Caring Forum Our City Has Ever Seen
Monday, June 16, 2025 | 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Thompson Rivers University – House of Learning, HOL 190
Dear Kamloops Community,
In the quiet moments of our city, while most of us go about our daily routines, there are students among us living double lives. They sit in lecture halls taking notes on critical theories while mentally calculating their parent’s medication schedule. They study for exams in the library while texting to check if their younger sibling made it home safely. They write papers about social justice while providing round-the-clock care for a grandparent with dementia.
These are our student caregivers—and their stories have been invisible for far too long.
That changes Monday night.
“Invisible No More: A Forum to Honour Students who Care”
This isn’t just another university event. This is Kamloops coming together to witness something beautiful: the moment when hidden struggles become shared strength, when individual burden becomes community support, and when caring for others is finally recognized as the valuable, skilled work it truly is.
Why This Matters to All of Us
Whether you’re a parent, grandparent, business owner, healthcare worker, or simply someone who believes in building stronger communities, these stories matter to you. Because the students who balance education with caregiving responsibilities aren’t just succeeding despite their challenges—they’re developing exactly the skills our community needs:
- Crisis management learned from late-night medical emergencies
- Emotional intelligence developed through supporting family members
- Advocacy skills honed by navigating complex systems
- Resilience built through loving without condition
- Multitasking abilities that would make any employer proud
These aren’t burdens—these are superpowers. And it’s time we started treating them that way.
Meet Our Extraordinary Speakers
Tania McCartney will share her journey of caring for two parents with dementia while raising her own daughters—and the profound wisdom she’s gained about love that endures even when minds change.
Dr. Nan Stevens, whose groundbreaking research with mothers of exceptional children, will reveal the hidden gifts that emerge from caregiving relationships.
Ashley Sudds will show us how therapeutic riding creates healing spaces where care takes on new dimensions through the partnership between humans and horses.
Cassie McNutt, one of Canada’s youngest recipients of the King Charles III Coronation Medal, will demonstrate how young caregivers become the leaders our communities desperately need.
Chelsea Corsi, TRU’s Wellness Centre Coordinator, will connect these stories to the support systems that can make caregiving sustainable for students.
Caitlin Orteza will illustrate how student equity advocacy transforms into professional youth services, showing us the powerful pipeline from university caregiving experience to community leadership.
Each speaker represents a different facet of care—family, professional, innovative, youth-led, institutional, and transformational. Together, they tell the bigger story of how caring communities are built.
The Launch of Something Revolutionary
Monday night also marks the official launch of the Love Care Share Scholarship Fund—created by Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov with TRU Educating for Social Change students who understand that real change happens when we move beyond awareness to action.
This isn’t just financial support (though that’s crucial). This is:
- Recognition of caregiving as valuable, skilled work
- Flexibility that honours different ways of sharing stories
- Community building between caregivers and supporters
- Justice for those whose labor has been invisible for too long
When we invest in student caregivers, we’re investing in people who already know how to make communities stronger.
This is Your Invitation to Care
If you’re a caregiver yourself, come find your people. Your experiences matter, your skills are valuable, and you are not alone.
If you know someone who provides care, bring them. Let them hear that their work is seen and valued.
If you’re an employer, come discover your future employees—people with unmatched skills in managing complexity with compassion.
If you’re a parent, come see how we can better support young people who are already changing the world.
If you’re simply human, come witness what happens when a community chooses to see and celebrate the care that holds us all together.
What We’re Building Together
Imagine a Kamloops where:
- Students don’t have to hide their caregiving responsibilities
- Caring for others is seen as valuable experience, not a barrier to success
- Support systems exist for the complex realities of people’s lives
- Young caregivers are mentored and celebrated, not overlooked
- Families navigating care challenges know they have community support
This isn’t just imagination—this is what we’re building, one story at a time, one scholarship at a time, one caring community member at a time.
How You Can Be Part of This Movement
🏠 Attend Monday night and be part of this historic conversation
💝 Bring someone you care about who needs to hear these stories
💰 Support the Love Care Share Fund (all donations go directly to students)
📢 Share this invitation using #LoveCareShare #InvisibleNoMore
📧 Contact us at okondrashov@tru.ca to learn more or get involved
✨ Simply show up with an open heart, ready to listen
A Personal Note from Our Hearts to Yours
We know Monday nights are precious. We know you have your own responsibilities, your own care to give. We’re not asking you to add something to your plate—we’re asking you to come see how the care you already give is part of something much larger.
When you attend “Invisible No More,” you’re not just supporting student caregivers. You’re participating in a cultural shift that recognizes care as the foundation of strong communities. You’re helping to create a world where the next generation doesn’t have to choose between caring for others and pursuing their dreams.
You’re helping us prove that Kamloops is exactly the kind of community where care is valued, stories are heard, and no one has to carry their burdens alone.
Monday, June 16th | 5:30-7:30 PM | TRU House of Learning
Come as you are. Bring your heart. Help us make care visible.
Because when we honour those who give care and bring together those who care to give, we create something powerful: a community where everyone’s full humanity is seen, valued, and supported.
Kamloops, this is our moment. Let’s make it count.
With respect,
Dr. Oleksandr (Sasha) Kondrashov and the SOCW 4520 Educating for Social Change Class
Thompson Rivers University
For more information: okondrashov@tru.ca
Event Details: Monday, June 16, 2025 | 5:30-7:30 PM | TRU House of Learning, HOL 190
#LoveCareShare #InvisibleNoMore
Leave a Reply