“I’m not a rich man, but I have time.” With that simple statement, Paul Binning says volumes about his involvement in the Punjabi community in British Columbia. A former facilities manager, electrician, plumber and handyman, today Paul dedicates himself to volunteering and managing the Deepak Binning Foundation.

Paul has been involved in the Punjabi music community for 40 years. In 1970 he was instrumental in forming the Punjabi Arts Association of Richmond (PAAR), which was created to do public education and music and dance performances.

Today, PAAR is the longest-standing Punjabi music and dance group in the province. Over 1,000 people have been members, and the group has performed for Prime Ministers, for royalty, and at the Olympics. These accomplishments are made all the more remarkable by the fact that everyone in the group is a volunteer.

The Deepak Binning Foundation was created in 2000 to honour the memory and spirit of Paul and his wife Jasbir’s son Deepak. At a very young age Deepak showed interest in the dhol (traditional Indian drum) and this became his passion. Deepak’s virtuosity on the dhol led him to play with many well-known Indian artists and to tour in his teens with bhangra star Jazzy B. He became ill with cancer as a high school student, and died at age 19.

“In my culture, we mourn our loss, however in our case we celebrated Deepak’s life, as he had accomplished a lot,” Paul says. “We all thought about how to honour him, and when Cambie School held its first fundraiser we knew we should carry on, and created the Foundation.”

In 2007 the Foundation endowed scholarships for students at UBC Okanagan. The Deepak Binning Foundation Community Builder Scholarship Fund will benefit generations of students entering UBC Okanagan from secondary schools in the Southern Interior of BC.

“The Kelowna chapter of our Foundation is really growing,” Paul notes. “And we wanted to make a contribution to the community. People traditionally give to the temple…giving to the Foundation is an alternative that can benefit a lot of people.”

“The future is education and youth,” he says. “If we can make a difference in one kid’s life, we will have done a good thing.”

UBC’s Centenary Awards Program aims to create 100 awards in 2008, each with at least $20,000 in endowed capital. Because these awards are endowed, they will provide student support in perpetuity. A Centenary Award can be a scholarship, bursary, prize, graduate fellowship or service award, and can support any eligible program at the Vancouver or Okanagan campus. Please contact us for more information.

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