Dear Parents of Educo Students,

As you’re aware it’s been a summer of challenge for Educo. This summer saw the worst
wildfire conditions in provincial history with much of the fire activity centering in the
Cariboo region. Evacuations resulted in the shutting down of our Holden Lake site and
sadly, the cancellations of most of our courses. The few courses we could offer were at
remote sites and even those were thwarted by fires, road closures and poor air
quality. Throughout, it was evident that resiliency and resourcefulness are two qualities
that continue to symbolize Educo.

Sadly, the fallout from the fire season continued. Along with lost course revenue, we’ve
had to take some hard cost-­cutting measures. These include terminating the Sales and
Relationship Manager position, as well as the rental of the ‘Educo House’ and office in
town. We’ve geared down to a bare-­bones operation, and are now in the position of
having to cut further and seek additional sources of revenue to remain afloat. All this
with the hopes of being able to continue to offer you the quality of courses you have
come to expect from Educo in the future.

Deposits and fees for cancelled courses will be returned to families in the coming weeks.
We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding as our limited staff deals with
the challenge of returning funds to you as quickly as possible.
We are grateful for the loving support received from the Educo community. That support
has come in many forms -­ from offers of alternative sites, donations, and letters of
encouragement and gratitude from parents, students and staff. These have kept Educo
spirits afloat. One of our staff recently wrote, “I have never felt so much support ….that
has given me a great confidence that I didn’t have before…given me new insight by
seeing things in me which I didn’t know were there.”

If the mission and vision of Educo touches your heart and passion and you want to
work with us to ensure we can continue to offer this unique and essential education,
please get involved in helping through this tough time. We need a team of dedicated
people l board, staff and volunteers l to guide Educo through these rough waters.
Please watch our website for upcoming opportunities to get involved.

Ron Skene
Executive Director

Educo Board of Directors
Chris White  |  Heidi Reid |  Ann Skelcher |  Dani Kidston |  Chris Pettman |  John Babineau