Ten floatplanes will soon fill the local skies, as a nationwide fundraiser comes to the South Okanagan to mark the official start of summer.
Hope Air, a Toronto-based charity that provides free travel and accommodations for low-income Canadians who must access medical care far from home, is bringing its "Give Hope Wings" event to Oliver and Osoyoos on Friday, June 21.
Floatplanes will touch down on Osoyoos Lake at 11 a.m., near the Watermark Hotel, before participants head to Oliver Flying Club for a community-wide barbecue.
The annual campaign combines "pilots’ love of aviation with the mission of helping patients in need across Canada get access to vital medical care," representatives from Hope Air said.
According to its website, this year's campaign has raised more than $377,000.
The non-profit group, which has already made stops across the country in 2024, has set its fundraising goal at $600,000.
After the excitement at Osoyoos Lake comes to an end Friday morning, people are invited to join Hope Air in Oliver, at 5811 Airport Street, for dinner.
The steak barbecue event will start at 5 p.m. One plate costs $25.
"Through events and fundraising activities, Give Hope Wings raises money and awareness for this very important cause by bringing together aviation
enthusiasts and the community in a shared effort to give back," reads a press release.
