Lisa Rolland was a very down to earth person who was passionate about literacy. As a child she experienced personal difficulty learning to read.
Widely known and much loved, Lisa was born in Duncan, BC. Raised in Fernie and Salmon Arm, she was a graduate of Salmon Arm Senior Secondary. She met her husband at a Slo-Pitch Tournament in Vernon in 1989. They settled in Sorrento in 2001, and Lisa quickly became a staunch member of the community, helping out whenever and wherever she could with no muss, no fuss. For six years she sat on the Board of School Trustees, representing the Sorrento/Carlin area of School District #83. Her constant focus was, “Is it good for the kids?”
Shuswap Children’s Literacy Fund was created in June of 2011, and Lisa and Bobbi Johnson, also a school trustee, planned to hold a ‘shave your head for literacy’ fund-raiser to help the fund reach the goal of $10,000. Sadly, Lisa’s illness took her away before the fundraiser could be held; but not before she learned of the change to the fund’s name – The Lisa Rolland Children’s Literacy Fund. Daryl Dyck, Lisa’s husband and biggest booster, was instrumental in making the change happen. She was able to express her excitement, and enormous gratitude, to the Foundation for making this her legacy to the children of the Shuswap.
It is a great tribute to Lisa that within three months of her death, contributions to the fund surpassed the $10,000 mark, enabling the first disbursement of interest earned by the fund to be made this year to School District #83. The money will be used to support literacy programs for children aged 12 and under residing within the boundaries of School District #83.
