Kettle Valley Memorial and the Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce are proud to announce that Linda Sankey, Executive Director of the South Okanagan Similkameen Brain Injury Society, has been recognized this week as a Top 40 award recipient for her many contributions to the wellness of Penticton and its residents.
In the workplace, Linda has demonstrated exceptional leadership by fostering an inclusive and supportive environment. One of the unique ways she does this is by approaching the quiet people on her team before meeting time in order to ensure that they have a chance to share their thoughts which they may not otherwise do in a group setting, even though their ideas are just as valuable and insightful as those comfortable speaking in front of a crowd. Linda also hires employees who have had a life changing disability, giving many people a first chance at employment following their disability.
The Brain Injury Society has seen significant growth during Linda’s tenure, increasing from nine to 24 positions, and has managed to stay open when more than 50 other brain injury organizations in B.C. alone closed from a lack of funding. She has expanded their housing portfolio from 32 individuals in three housing locations to 278 people being housed in seven locations, and has now set her sights on creating a new low-cost housing building with the aim of including office space for her staff so that money currently used to pay rent would instead benefit her clients and their specific needs.
Anyone familiar with Linda or her work knows how passionate she is about social wellness. She was a strong voice who urged the City of Penticton to create a social development department, which became reality 4 years ago and has since resulted in many new community programs and assistance for Penticton’s more vulnerable population. As co-Chair of the 100 More Homes Penticton, she has been able to advocate the needs of those experiencing homelessness by facilitating partnerships with other organizations like ASK Wellness. Linda was also part of the City’s OCP Housing Task Force and continues to be an active member of the Aging Well Penticton collaborative, whose mission is to reduce isolation for people who are over 65 and are unable to socialize due to infirmity.
Given all of these contributions and more, it is no surprise to see Linda Sankey named as a Top 40 Award recipient.