Red River College student Jamie Mckay has been recognized by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, with a Shaw Media Award presented by the Foundation for the Advancement of Aboriginal Youth (FAAY).

Mckay, a second-year Creative Communications student at RRC, is one of thousands of Canadian students who’ve received support in the form of FAAY scholarships and bursaries over the years.

A public relations major, Mckay is currently working as an intern at poetry magazine Contemporary Verse 2. Her goal is to use her new skills in the service of a career that allows her to benefit the Aboriginal community.

“I want to spend my life being creative and using my gifts to help others,” Mckay told the CAAB. “Above all, I want to help Aboriginal people — reach them, inspire them, and lift them up so they will be able to do the same.”

Click here for more info about Mckay’s award, and here for more info on RRC’s CreComm program.

As a participant for the last 15 years, Red River College grad Sean Grassie brings a unique perspective to his time with the MCA Bonspiel, the biggest and longest-running curling competition in the world.

So it’s no surprise Grassie, a 2009 Creative Communications grad, and skip of both the 1999 Manitoba junior champion and 2009 Canadian Mixed champion teams, has put all that inside info to good use via a new book chronicling the Bonspiel’s 125-year history.

Kings of the Rings was completed as the major project for Grassie’s final year of CreComm, and is the result of more than 100 interviews and untold hours spent poring through the Winnipeg Free Press archives. The book was published by Great Plains Publications, with an initial print run of 3,000, though given the level of curling’s popularity in Manitoba — not to mention the Bonspiel’s pending 125th anniversary — Grassie might soon need a second run.

First launched in 1887, the Bonspiel has become a cultural institution in Winnipeg — and remains unparalleled in sport as an event where amateurs might find themselves competing against world champions.

“It’s unlike any other bonspiel you’ll see in the world,” Grassie told the Winnipeg Free Press. “Most bonspiels feature either the really elite teams of the next tier, but the MCA is that rare event that brings together the whole fabric of the curling community — from the world champions to the once-a-week curlers. That’s what attracts me.”

Grassie himself came within one game of winning the entire bonspiel last year — skipping his team all the way to the finals before losing in the last game to a team from Wisconsin.

Click here for more information on Kings of the Rings, and here for more about RRC’s Creative Communications program.

A Red River College student with a distinguished military record has again turned his attention to a different form of service — by launching a foundation to raise scholarship money for students with developmental disabilities.

Andrew McLean, a former Warrant Officer who retired from the Canadian Forces last summer after 22 years of service, recently donated $25,000 of his own money to start the Canadian Torch Foundation — which will provide its first $1,000 CTF Award to an RRC student next year.

The award is available annually to a full-time student with a developmental disability (physical, mental or documented learning disability, or visual or hearing impairment), who’s studying one of the following RRC programs: Child and Youth Care, Disability and Community Support, Early Childhood Education or Early Childhood Education Workplace.

McLean’s goal is to eventually raise $2.5 million in funding for similar post-secondary scholarships at 10 colleges and universities, and to complement them with annual grants for rehabilitation efforts benefitting children and youth across Canada. Read More →

(From left): Ryan Garriock, Past President, RRC Alumni Board; Bob Tallman, Owner and CEO of Princess Auto; and Dale Oughton, RRC Alumni Coordinator, at the 2012 Alumni Dinner.

Red River College raised a glass to success stories of the past, present and future this month, as RRC alumni joined with students and staff to celebrate their roots at the 2012 Alumni Dinner.

Held Nov. 16 at The Fairmont Winnipeg, the event gave RRC’s growing family of alumni the chance to re-connect with old friends and toast the accomplishments of their peers — in particular those of Bob Tallman, owner and CEO of Princess Auto, and recipient of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

A 1976 graduate of RRC’s Business Administration program, Tallman has since built Princess Auto from a family business into a national retailer, cultivated a passionate base of customers through a tireless focus on service, and devoted himself to revitalizing his community and helping dozens of young people pursue their own dreams. Read More →

Red River College joins the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority in celebrating the accomplishments of the most recent graduates of its Health Services Leadership and Management program.

Available in class and online through RRC’s School of Continuing Education, and delivered in partnership with the WRHA, the program targets current health services workers who wish to further their careers by developing or upgrading their management skills.

Employees come from a wide range of services, including acute care, community programs, diagnostic, personal and long-term care facilities. The program allows them to build the knowledge, skills and networking connections required to succeed in the WRHA’s dynamic and evolving health care environment.

“The beauty of this program is that it couples tangible financial support with a sense of identifying and acknowledging potential in our future health care leaders,” says Nish Verma, vice-president and chief human resources officer for the WRHA.

The collaborative WRHA/RRC model of the program has grown steadily since its inception in 2003, and is now a widely recognized and established component of the WRHA’s management and succession planning strategy. It was developed through collaborations with the Manitoba Chapter of the Canadian College of Health Leaders; curriculum is based on that organization’s Certified Health Executive competencies.

Those taking the program receive instruction from some of the most respected names in the health service industry, as well as expert guidance as they apply their practical skills in the workplace. Participants in the joint WRHA/RRC program have to be sponsored in by their employers, who in turn must be a health organization under the WRHA.

Click here for more info on the Health Services Leadership and Management program at RRC.

RRC alum Östen Rice (centre) along with Amici’s Jamie Snow (left) and Sydney’s at the Forks’ Michael Schafer (right), on the winner’s podium of this year’s Gold Medal Plates culinary competition.

Congratulations to RRC alum Östen Rice (Culinary Arts, 2001), of Wasabi Sabi restaurant, on his recent win at the Gold Medal Plates competition in Winnipeg.

Rice was awarded top honours at the event, which took place Oct. 26 at the Winnipeg Convention Centre. As it does every year, the event celebrates the best in local cuisine, pitting the city’s premiere chefs against each other in a bid for a spot at the Canadian Culinary Championships.

Rice’s gold medal-worthy entry was a thrilling mix of sweet and sour, comprised of beet-cured butterfish, marinated sea asparagus, taro crisp and tobiko roe, and a slaw of julienned Fuki apple, golden beet and shiso leaf. Read More →

(From left): Peter Bjornson, Provincial Minister of Entrepreneurship, Training & Trade; Stephanie Forsyth, President of RRC; and Kim Olson, Senior Vice-President, Helicopters, Energy & Engineering for StandardAero.

Red River College will continue to serve as an engine of economic growth in Canada, thanks to a recent donation worth $1.2 million from industry partner StandardAero.

Earlier this month, the company transferred ownership of a GE CF-34 turbine aircraft engine to RRC. The engine will be used as part of the College’s apprenticeship and training programs, in particular the Gas Turbine Repair and Overhaul program, which promotes engine maintenance, repair and overhaul skills.

“Here at Red River College, we pride ourselves on giving students the opportunity to train using state-of-the-art technology and industry-approved equipment,” says RRC President Stephanie Forsyth. “This donation, and our partnership with StandardAero, will allow us to continue to serve as a leader in aerospace training, and to continue supplying highly-trained employees to the workforce.”

The College’s partnership with StandardAero has been ongoing for several years, and has also resulted in the development of the Centre for Aerospace Technology & Training (CATT), a unique industrial campus model that serves as a technology validation site for RRC’s Applied Research and Commercialization department. StandardAero is also an active participant in RRC’s co-op and internship programs.

“Our (latest) donation serves as a key workforce skills strategy, not only for StandardAero, but also for Manitoba’s continued economic sustainment and growth,” says Kim Olson, Senior Vice-President, Helicopters, Energy & Engineering at StandardAero.

“Training on real-world products without incurring capital costs is paramount to the learning and development of a highly skilled workforce in Manitoba. Our partnership with Apprenticeship Manitoba and RRC is nationally recognized as a leading contributor to the growth of the aerospace sector in Manitoba.”

Applications are now being accepted for single and double dorm rooms in Red River College’s new student residence at the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute.

Located at the corner of Main Street and William Avenue (just blocks from the Roblin Centre), the new Exchange District Campus Residence offers convenient meal plans and rental contracts that align with academic schedules. The residences will open in January 2013, but applications are being accepted as of Nov. 1, 2012.

Dorm rates for the Winter 2013 term (Jan. 2, 2013 – Apr. 26, 2013) are $3,660.

For more information and instructions on how to apply, visit http://www.rrc.ca/campusliving.

Congratulations to Red River College student and Navy reservist Diego Mendoza, the latest member of the RRC family to receive a Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Mendoza (shown at left), a student in RRC’s Chemical and Biosciences Technology Co-op program, was recognized for his outstanding contributions to Canada while serving in the Royal Canadian Navy. He received his award at a ceremony at HMCS Chippawa on Oct. 9, 2012.

Earlier this year, QEII Diamond Jubilee Medals were also awarded to former RRC Dean Dave Williamson, and current program coordinator Dwayne Forsman.

“There is no doubt that Red River College continues to be a place where great people gather and contribute to the community,” says Mendoza.

Click here for more information on RRC’s Chemical and Biosciences Technology Co-op program.

Photo: Canstar Community News

It’s got a longstanding reputation as a haven for hippies. But there’s a lot more to Wolseley than Birkenstocks and love beads.

That’s what Red River College student Laina Hughes has learned while researching a book about the storied neighbourhood — which she’s writing as part of her Creative Communications course work. She hopes to paint a picture of the neighbourhood that goes beyond the usual stereotypes (granola, cyclists, mosquito buffer zones, etc.), while positioning it within the larger context of Winnipeg’s cultural mosaic.

A longtime Wolseley resident herself, Hughes has always wanted to write a book, so when the opportunity to research her favourite neighbourhood arose, she knew the subject matter would prove a perfect fit.

“I thought this would be a great way to learn more about Wolseley’s history while celebrating the beauty and unique culture of the neighbourhood,” says Hughes.

“I think Wolseley residents are passionate about their neighbourhood, and I’ve gotten a lot of interest and support from the community so far.”

If you’ve got a story about Wolseley to share, Hughes would love to hear from you. She can be reached via her Twitter account, @WolseleyStories, or by email, wolseleystories@gmail.com.