Kwantlen Keeps Finding Ways To Help

Kwantlen Students Working At Michaud HouseThis fall Kwantlen Turf students have been busy performing many activities that benefited their community.

Michaud House is a public Langley heritage home that was in dire need of a new front lawn. This September first year students gave the lawn a complete dethatching, aeration, topdressing and overseeding restoration.

Second year students learned sportsfield construction by building the backyard soccer field at the site of Kwantlen Horticulture's annual "Yard Reno Makeover" in Maple Ridge (see full story last issue).

In October, second year students did the fall core aeration and topdressing for Langley Lawn Bowls.

They then honed their baseball mound repair skills by restoring the bullpen, pitchers and home plate areas at Langley's Barbour Field.

Jesse Cowan's Movember 'Stache In November, Turf students and faculty are growing their facial art for Prostate Cancer and are now leading the Kwantlen team donation competition with "Team TurfStache".

Kwantlen Turf Club has been busy all fall raising funds to send themselves to the WCTA Turf Conference in January. At this conference, turf students will be organizing the "Kwantlen Open Golf Tournament" Jan 21, volunteering their time for all conference events and raising money for charities. At last year's conference they raised $1,750 for Turfgrass Research, MS Fund, and turfgrass scholarship. They are planning on exceeding this in Victoria. 

Turf Club Co-President Jesse Cowan who is in his second year of a turf management diploma at Kwantlen Polytechnic University and comes from Gallagher’s Canyon GC commented on all this activity:

"I had heard good things about the program coming into it, but I didn’t realize how much of an impact it would have on myself as well as others outside of the program.  Just this year I have been a part of such things from helping a local family in need re-make their entire yard, to re-building bullpens and pitching mounds at a local ball field and even aerating a local lawn bowling club. It is a great opportunity to not only learn hands on, but also be able to help people.  We have a Turf Club at Kwantlen through which we raise money to send ourselves to a conference filled with educational seminars, as well as raise money to donate to various charities.  All these experiences have not only added to my education, but have added to my sense of belonging in an industry that I am very happy to be a part of."

This is all very positive news which benefits our turfgrass industry.

How you as a WCTA member can support this activity:

• Post this for your crew, members and management.
• Be generous in donating prizes for their functions. Contact:cowan.jd@hotmail.com
• Attend the "Kwantlen Open" January 21 via conference registration.
• Be a tee sponsor for this event. Contact: boothert@telus.net
• Support their 50/50 draws at the Conference; all money goes to charities.
• Purchase used turf equipment from Turf Club. Contact: boothert@telus.net

Submitted by Stan Kazymerchyk, Turfgrass management Instructor, Kwantlen Polytechnic University