Her first visit to the site that won her company's annual competition left a big impression on Patricia Kell.
The CEO for National Trust For Canada, based in Ottawa was in Vernon Tuesday, Aug.12, to help celebrate with historic O'Keefe Ranch, property owned by the City of Vernon located in the Township of Spallumcheen.
The ranch was the 2025 winner of National Trust For Canada's Next Great Save competition, which brought with it a much-needed $50,000 boost for the popular site.
"It's amazing, such a fantastic place," said Kell of her inaugural visit to the historic ranch.
But as she told a crowd of about 70 gathered beside the O'Keefe house's rose garden in the sanctity of the shade on a 35-degree afternoon 香蕉视频直播� thanks to the garden's massive trees 香蕉视频直播� Kell has gotten to know a lot about the facility in 2025.
"It's such a pleasure to be here. I've been hearing for the last eight months about O'Keefe Ranch, and I've gotten to spend a little time and meet the people who make this wonderful site come to life," she said. "It's a huge pleasure to celebrate the victory in the Next Great Save, and acknowledge those who made it possible."
This is the third year of the National Trust event. There were 36 sites that applied to be part of Next Great Save, and 12 became finalists. O'Keefe beat out all of the others to take the $50,000 top prize.
There were more than 120,000 votes cast in the online competition, and more than 140 medial stories printed about the sites and the competition.
"What comes out of this, is that in the end, all of the sites that participate and be part of the competition help raise their own local profile and needs," said Kell.
National Trust For Canada is the leading national charity concerned with preservation and promotion of heritage places.
"We believe that historic places are central to the life of communities," said Kell. "Through heritage conservation activities, we foster identity, drive economic activity, enhance a sense of belonging and advance reconciliation, we support climate resilience and we promote well-being.
"That's a long list of benefits that come from saving places (like O'Keefe Ranch)."
Bruce Cummings, the past president of the O'Keefe Ranch and Interior Heritage Society, was grateful to both Kell and Colin Robertson of Ecclesiastical Insurance Office from Toronto, who provided the prize money.
"The mansion is going to get much needed repairs. It doesn香蕉视频直播檛 look too bad but there are some things that need fixing," said Cummings to the crowd. "Over the next few months we're going to try to get some things fixed."
The major repair, said Cummings, is to get the mansion's heating system working. The home's walls and the artifacts inside suffer from cold temperatures.
Robertson, the chief risk management and customer officer for Ecclisastical Insurance, said his company has been working with National Trust For Canada for many years.
"I'm delighted to work with the trust, and to get to come to meet communities like yourself that value heritage," said Robertson, who pointed out to the audience that the O'Keefe Mansion was built in 1886, just one year before Ecclesiastical Insurance opened in the United Kingdom.
Those on hand were invited to take part in ranch tours, hosted by members of the ranch society and volunteers.
