2026 Flourish: A Record-Breaking Night

On Thursday, March 5, Vancouver Community College (VCC) welcomed over 370 guests to enjoy Flourish—our annual fundraising event that showcases the college and raises money for equipment and programs for VCC students. 

Attendees made their way through 13 food stations, hosted by some of the city’s most exciting chefs (most of whom are VCC alumni), 15 beverage stations, and VCC department stations where guests could learn more about the high quality of education the college offers.
With our network of alumni, friends, industry and community partners, and student and staff volunteers, the night featured a cheque presentation for $100,000 from the RBC Foundation. This generous donation supports the development of four new butchery virtual reality modules for VCC’s Culinary Arts program.

We later heard VCC President and CEO Ajay Patel talk about the challenging times post-secondary institutions are facing, and the importance of remaining focused on VCC’s long-term goals. VCC Automotive Technician student, Megan Lockwood, also shared on her experience as a woman in trades education and the exciting opportunities ahead. Renowned Man About Town, Fred Lee, led the live auction and fundraising and helped bring in more than $261,000 – a new Flourish record.

Flourish funds will go toward purchasing a new Chassis Dynamometer specializing in electric vehicles for the Automotive Department in the new Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation when it opens in 2027. This equipment will help VCC train the next generation of skilled automotive experts.

We are grateful to the many industry leaders, government dignitaries, alumni, and community partners who joined us at our favourite night of the year. Together, we are preparing for an exciting future in education.

Watch our Flourish 2026 Fund-a-need video and check VCC’s Flickr page for photos from the night.