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Photo of kamloops pride board members in a pride parade with the kamloops pride banner
Photo of kamloops pride board members in a pride parade with the kamloops pride banner

About Us

The Kamloops Pride society is a non-profit organization operating within Secwepemcúl’ecw, the territory of the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc peoples, in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Meet The Board

Our Mission

We are a non-profit organization supporting people who identify with the 2SLGBTQPIA+ community. This includes: Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer/Questioning, Pansexual, Intersex, and Asexual/Agender individuals living in the Kamloops region.  

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Our mission is to promote a more flourishing 2SLGBTQPIA+ community and culture in Kamloops. Regardless of how you identify on the gender identity or sexuality spectrum - we welcome you! We are here to serve the diverse community within Kamloops and strive to advocate on behalf of people who experience discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. Through our work, we hope to promote equity for all.  

Our Values


INTEGRITY
Practice transparency, honesty, professionalism, and informative communication to maintain community trust.

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RESPECT
Maintain unconditional consideration for all those we interact with in the business of Kamloops Pride. 

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​INCLUSIVITY
Acknowledge intersectionality and work towards equity.

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FUN
Maintain a sense of celebration in everything we do!

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​COMMUNITY
Foster community through a caring, considerate, and consistent presence.

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Alyssa Christianson (she/her)

President

​My name is Alyssa and I am a queer woman who moved to Kamloops in 2021. I work for BC Wildfire and am busy year-round in prevention and response. I have a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies. I previously served as the Kamloops Pride Vice President and the Castlegar Pride Vice Chair. My special interests and skills include event planning and board organization.

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In my free time, I enjoy going to the beach, playing board games, and socializing with friends. 

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My goal for 2023 is to increase and improve Kamloops Pride's partnerships with local government, businesses, organizations, and communities. I would like to continue to expand both our year-round events and Pride Week celebrations.

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Sankalp Diwate (he/him)

Treasurer

My name is Sankalp Diwate. I am an international student at TRU and I am taking Post Baccalaureate Diploma in HRM. Apart from my academics I am working as a part time store associate at Dollarama INC. Also I am an active member of TRU HR club and Rotaract where we plan different activities for students to participate. To gain some hands on experience as an HR I am working as a Recruitment Intern for SalesEra. My interests and skills include interviewing, screening, meeting new people and socializing with them.

 

In my free time I like to go swimming, listen music and playing badminton, also I like watching spooky webseries and movies on Netflix.


My goal is to become a CPHR candidate after I graduate and secure a government job into HR
field and then climb the ladder to the higher level positions. As part of this club I will be an honour for me to be the member and serve for the community and I am looking forward to work with the vision of promoting the community and getting more people involved with us.

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Ashton O'Brien (they/she)

Director of Resources

My name is Ashton and my pronouns are they/she. I identify as a genderfluid lesbian, and I live in Westwold but I work in Kamloops and have lived in the area for about 10 years. I volunteered with Kamloops Pride a few years ago before joining as a director. I took a break for a year, and this past year I was elected Vice President. I would like to continue working with Kamloops Pride and so this year I ran, and was elected as President. I am an outdoorsy kind of person, but also an introvert and a bit of a geek. I love to adventure but also love to curl up at home and play video games. I am a big fan of NBA, and I also enjoy hockey, softball, shooting, fishing, and ATVing.

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My vision this year is to see Kamloops Pride be more integrated into the whole Kamloops community and I would like to see more partnerships and stronger relationships between the board and both the 2SLGBTQPIA+ community, service providers, and allies here in Kamloops.

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Remy McInnis (they/them)

Vice President

Hi! I'm Remy, and I'm a queer non binary member of the community.

 

I moved to Kamloops from the Lower Mainland to attend the ECE program at TRU, then I ended up falling in love with the city and staying after graduation. I've lived here for seven years now and have been volunteering with KPS for the past year. I've been loving attending and helping organize all the events and I'm excited to build on this as this year's Vice President.

 

In my free time you'll either find me downtown at a coffee shop or shopping at a local business, or at home with my cat, one of my comfort shows, and a puzzle on the go.

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Aidan Sheppard (she/her)

Communications Coordinator

Aidan is a queer identifying 25-year-old, who is currently employed as a Women's Housing Support Worker. She has lived in Kamloops for 6 years. She is passionate about working within the Kamloops community to ensure that people have access to the resources available to them and to also act as a listening ear and advocate for those who may need it. When she is not working you can find her spending time with her pets, getting creative in some way (jewelry making, painting, crafting, letter writing and so much more) reading, scrolling social media, and spending time with her friends. If it's sunny out, you'll find her walking some of the many trails in and around Kamloops or enjoying the outdoors in some form with her dog. 

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Marie-Claire Marshall (she/her)

Director of Youth Engagement

Marie is a recently graduated registered nurse from TRU. She is currently working in mental health and at Kamloops Hospice Association. She was born and raised in Kamloops and joined the board to become more involved in the 2SLGBTQPIA+ community. Throughout her schooling, she studied the disparities in mental health in the queer community. By joining the board, she hopes to contribute to positive change for queer youth in Kamloops and help develop a more supportive and inclusive community. Outside of work, you will most often find her spending time with her partner and siblings. She loves to get outside to hike, ski, or paddle board.​

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Vallankan Mendonca (he/him)

Administrative Assistant

Hi! I’m Vallankan, an international student at TRU & my pronouns are he/him. Presently, I’m doing my post- baccalaureate program in International Business. Besides that, I’m the student ambassador for Gaglardi School of Business & Economics. When I’m not studying, I watch movies, play table tennis & volunteer at various clubs in TRUi. Prior to joining TRU, I was a copywriter for about 3 years having worked on brands across sectors, including finance, luxury & FMCG.

Speaking of my vision, I believe that the day every gender & race feel comfortable being themselves no matter where they go is the day I can say the society has become truly inclusive.

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Jenny Edwards (she/her)

Volunteer Coordinator

Jenny is an actor and classical singer who was born and raised in Kamloops. After attending TRU and UVIC, she graduated with a degree in Theatre Arts. She has been performing since she was a child and has been in shows all over Western Canada, including at Celebrations Dinner Theatre in Edmonton, Storybook Theatre and Scorpio Theatre in Calgary, and on CTV’s hit show Corner Gas in Regina; you may recognize the back of her head from Season 5! 

In her spare time, Jenny works at her dream job at Western Canada Theatre. When she’s not working, she can usually be found working with her son in his craft business creating Pride jewellery and charms or hanging out with her husband of nearly 17 years. She also loves spending time with her cats, Sundance and Roxie, and her dogs, Zoey and Jaxx.

Jenny is proud to be an ally. She is looking forward to working in the community to promote inclusion, diversity and accessible resources, and she is honoured to be a member of the Board of Kamloops Pride.

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Charlie Smith (she/her)

Director

My name is Charlie and my pronouns are she/her. I identify as a queer pansexual, living in Kamloops while working locally ever since. Back in 2018 I moved to this amazing community with a desire to see it flourish! This being the first time I applied to the Pride board and I am so excited to learn and help. 

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I am both a bit outdoorsy, indoors enthusiast and everything in between. You can catch me enjoying a good movie of any genre, plant shopping or spending time with my family. 

Our Annual Financial Report 2022

Our 2021/2022 Annual Report was delivered at our Annual General Meeting on Monday, November 21, 2022. You can view the report below.

Kamloops Pride in Media

Kamloops Pride Board Member on the Importance of International TDoV

CFJC Kamloops

March 31, 2023

by Adam Donnelly

The Wren

March 31, 2023

by Kyra Grubb

Kamloops Blazers Set to Auction off Game-Worn Pride Jerseys...

CFJC Kamloops

March 22, 2023

by Adam Donnelly

PODCAST: The Boss Chick Project: Let's Talk About Gender!

The Boss Chick Project

March 31, 2022

with Cassandra Blackwell

Kamloops Symphony Orchestra hosts drag performer Thorgy Thor

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