â–ş Listen Live
â–ş Listen Live

Artist Kym Gouchie receives surprise thank you gift from BC Summer Games organizers

Kym Gouchie walked into Canadian Tire this morning with no idea why she had been summoned.

When she arrived, she was greeted by Selen Alpay and Renee McCloskey, the primary BC Summer Games organizers, as well as a swarm of media and some curious onlookers.

Gouchie is a local musician and artist who played two major roles in the BC Summer Games – performing at the opening ceremonies and designing the ribbon that all 1,900 awarded medals awarded were hanged off.

Kym Gouchie and Selen Alpay

“It is a blessing for me to have Kym in my life” said Alpay, saying their personal relationship is built on honour, love and trust – “so much so that Kym doesn’t even know why she is here right now.”

She would soon find out, as a weighty wrapped up gift was handed to her. She opened it to find a framed gold medal from the BC Summer games, on the ribbon she designed.

Alpay quoted Gouchie’s website biography to highlight a little about who she is, saying “With ancestral roots in the Lheidli T’enneh, Cree and SecwĂ©pemc Nations, Kym Gouchie is fostering change through her music and art. Her music brings awareness to First Nations and women’s issues, promoting reconciliation and community building while reminding us that we are all in this together.”

Kym Gouchie with her framed 2022 BC Games gold medal (Photo by Will Peters, My PG Now Staff)

Gouchie says the bear, moose, eagle and light blue representing the sky and the clouds stand for the nature in our area, and “all that have been here before us.”

She said the fire weed on the ribbon also represents the hard work that goes into training for the sports in the BC Summer games.

“You save that very last little bit of energy to get over the finish line. That’s what the fireweed does. It blossoms from the bottom up, and as soon as it gets to the top, it is in its full glory and beauty.”

Gouchie was also an act during the games’ opening ceremonies, Alpay said as soon as she took the stage the whole crowd was attentive and captivated.

Gouchie said she had a vision of performing on stage with the Prince George Tapestry Singers and the Judy Russel Dace studio.

“I can’t believe that it happened. I was over like that, but it was an incredible experience to see a sea of young people.”

She also added that she loved the gift, and that she was already thinking about what wall in her house it would look best on.

Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Continue Reading

cjci Now playing play

cirx Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

- Advertisement -

Latest News

Three workshops coming to Prince George for Alzheimer caregivers

The Alzheimer Society of B.C. will be hosting free workshops in Prince George next week.

Cops for Cancer Tour de North raises $245,000 for childhood cancer research

Emergency service crews that took part in this year's Cops for Cancer Tour de North wrapped up their seven day ride on Thursday in Prince Rupert.

Zach’s Sports Shorts; Saturday, September 20th

The regular season officially kicked off for the Prince George Cougars yesterday (Friday) after a 6-1 victory over the Portland Winterhawks at home.

New faces shine for Cougars in season opener

That's starting the season with a bang.The Prince George Cougars opened their season with a 6-1 win over the Portland Winterhawks in front of 4,252 fans at the CN Centre.

Spruce Kings road woes in Chilliwack reach another low

Another trip to the Fraser Valley turned out to be a bust as the Chilliwack Chiefs tallied five un-answered goals enroute to a 6-2 victory Friday night to begin the BCHL regular season.
- Advertisement -