Nearly six decades of community service continue as rugby alumni turn remembrance into lasting generosity.
For 58 years, the Kamloops Rugby Club has demonstrated that being part of a team means much more than what happens on the field. It’s about friendship, loyalty and showing up for your community when it matters most.
Now, that tradition of giving has taken on a deeply personal meaning.
Over the past year, the Club said goodbye to two cherished members of its rugby family, Tony Stobie and Jake Surline. Both were former Club presidents, players and longtime supporters who shared a commitment to the sport, their teammates and the community they called home.
Rather than simply mourning their loss, fellow alumni chose to honour their friends in a way that reflected the values they shared: by giving back.
Over 11 months, Club alumni raised $4,900 in their memory, making two donations of $2,450 each to causes that will benefit others.
In honour of Tony Stobie, $2,450 was donated to the Alzheimer Society of Canada, supporting those affected by Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
In memory of Jake Surline, $2,450 was donated to the BC Interior Community Foundation’s Environment & Recreation Fund, helping support initiatives that enrich the quality of life in Kamloops and the surrounding region.
The gifts are a fitting tribute to two men whose connections to the Club extended well beyond the rugby field.
And for the Kamloops Rugby Club, giving back is nothing new.
Over its 58-year history, members have volunteered their time in countless ways, from managing parking at Canada Day celebrations and providing security at rock concerts to singing Christmas carols at the hospital, collecting donations for the United Way and, most recently, lending a hand at this summer’s Ribfest.
It’s a remarkable legacy of community service, built not through grand gestures, but through generations of people willing to roll up their sleeves and help.
“What makes these gifts especially touching is that they not only honour two friends, but also carry their spirit of generosity forward, continuing a tradition of giving back that has been part of this Club for nearly six decades,” said Wenda Noonan, Director of Development at BC Interior Community Foundation (BCICF). “The Kamloops Rugby Club is a perfect example of how ordinary people coming together with a shared purpose make an extraordinary difference in our community.”
The BC Interior Community Foundation hopes the Club’s example will inspire other sports teams, service clubs, businesses and community organizations to consider how they, too, might make a difference.
Whether through a donation in memory of a loved one, a fundraising initiative or the establishment of a charitable fund, every act of generosity helps build a stronger, more caring community.
For the members of the Kamloops Rugby Club, this latest act of giving is both a tribute to two much-loved friends and a continuation of a tradition that has endured for nearly six decades.
Because while the final whistle may sound, the difference we make in the lives of others can carry on for generations.