Vernon artist AJ Jaeger is a woman of her word.
Jaeger said she would make a contribution to the new Greater Vernon Cultural Centre "when the shovels hit the ground."
That day was Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Standing in front of a pile with five shovels fully upright in the dirt 鈥� four decorated with big turquoise bows 鈥� and holding her own shovel, there was Jaeger in front of a crowd of nearly 200 people donating $50,000 to the cultural centre on the day ground was finally broken for the facility.
"If I want to be a role model, I want to do it this way," said Jaeger, joined for the presentation by Community Foundation North Okanagan executive director Leanne Hammond for the announcement. The Community Foundation is handling donations for the community centre (tax receipts are issued no matter how big or small the donation), and the $50K comes from the Jaeger Family Fund.
"Maybe it will encourage other people to do the same."
The donation came at the end of a nearly hour-long ground-breaking ceremony at the site of the cultural centre, the corner of 31st Avenue and 30th Street, in downtown Vernon. With Jaeger's donation, more than $1.7 million has been raised toward the construction of the facility which will house the Vernon Public Art Gallery and the Museum and Archives of Vernon.
A large crowd of supporters gathered at the museum shortly before 11 a.m., many wielding shovels or signs in support of the centre, and marched to the ground-breaking site, following the lead of the Kalamalka Highlanders Pipe Band.
Emcees Brian Martin and Rebecca Barton of Beach Radio took over at the site. After Okanagan Indian Band Elder Virginia Gregoire gave a prayer and blessing, and drummer Amber Cardena sang a traditional song, the first dignitary to speak was Dauna Kennedy, the executive director of the Vernon Public Art Gallery.
Adorned with a pink hard hat, Kennedy told the crowd her organization has been advocating for the cultural centre since 1986, and that their current location in the basement of the Vernon Parkade was only supposed to be temporary, like five years. The gallery has been there 30 years.
"The new cultural centre will bring together the art gallery and the museum, two key community institutions housed within a vibrant mutual asset we can both call home," said Kennedy, in her 18th year at the gallery helm.
The new centre will feature galleries, museum exhibits, learning spaces, community rooms, and a welcoming plaza to serve as a gathering place for the region, said Kennedy.
"This will be more than a building. It will be a hub of creativity, learning, and connection," she said.
The museum is an organization often associated with history, preservation, and talking about the past, said museum and archives board president Adrianna Stange. On Tuesday, she said, the museum was "on the front lines building a future that future generations will think about."
"We鈥檙e not here today because of what we will benefit from the building itself," said Stange. "We鈥檙e here for the legacy it will leave future generations. We鈥檙e gathered here for purpose-built space so that those generations have a space and an inviting location to explore, to learn, to have hard conversations, to inspire creativity, and we want to inspire them to wander and wonder with us about Greater Vernon, and why we鈥檙e here."
Okanagan Indian Band Chief Dan Wilson praised the decision-makers for bringing the cultural centre to fruition. He said that sometimes, visions take a while to come true.
The referendum approving the GVCC passed nearly seven years ago, in 2018.
"It seems like this (2025) is a year a lot of visions are coming true," said Wilson. "Last week, they opened up the fish passage around the gates in Penticton to allow the salmon to have free access to the lake. That was a vision one of ours had back in 1987, to get the salmon back into our tributaries.
"Sometimes, visions don't happen overnight. Like this cultural centre."
Born, raised, and now living in Vernon, Regional District of North Okanagan Electoral Area C director Amanda Shatzko said she's been hearing about the need for a new art gallery and museum since 1986.
Shatzko used four words to sum up the crowd's feeling at the ground-breaking.
"It's about damn time," said Shatzko.
Coun. Teresa Durning, serving as acting mayor for the City of Vernon, said the cultural centre project is more than just bricks and mortar. It's a symbol of the community's commitment to arts, culture, and connection.
"It will be a place where creativity thrives, where stories are shared, and people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to celebrate what makes Vernon so special," she said. "The cultural centre will draw people downtown, host events, support local businesses, and give residents a place to come together and celebrate."
The new centre is slated to open in 2028.
The Together4Culture fundraising campaign is continuing.
