WATCH: Honouring a remarkable Kelowna woman

• Marion Bremner founded Habitat for Humanity Kelowna in 1990
• She helped set a world record in 2005 and is currently managing Meals on Wheels

From helping build homes in developing nations, to running successfully for city council, Marion Bremner has taken an active role not only in Kelowna, but around the world.

In 1985, she was successful in becoming the first woman Chamber of Commerce president, so it’s only fitting that the Chamber made Bremner their 2021 business leader of the year. She will be honoured at an awards gala on March 30.

“To be quite honest, I’m very humbled and feel very honoured,” Bremner told Kelowna10. "I’ve always kind of worked behind the scenes to try and get things done, so to actually be recognized is quite overwhelming.”

An extensive list of achievements boosts Bremner’s resume, but her drive and passion for community involvement all started in 1974, when she worked for the Royal Bank and was transferred from Calgary to Kelowna.

“I was encouraged by my leadership to be involved in worthwhile community activities, so I decided the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce was a good place to start,” Bremner said.

Her first meeting as a member, a luncheon, coincided with the closing of nominations for directors for the coming year. Bremner saw there were no women nominees.

This caused some concern; leaders agreed to open the floor to nominations of women in future elections. They invited Bremner to put forward her name the next year. She did, and got elected in 1978 as the first woman director.

When she became a city councilor ten years later, Bremner was looking for ways in the community to do good without a lot of government involvement.

She put out a call to the community to see if people would be interested in a Habitat for Humanity in Kelowna, and the response surpassed her expectations.

“Amazingly, we had over 100 people attend our first meeting, and only two of them were looking for housing. The rest of them were all looking to volunteer,” Bremner said.

Bremner was eventually invited onto the international board for Habitat for Humanity, which enabled her to travel the world, and help build homes for those in need. She was even able to collaborate several times with former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, a lifelong advocate for the organization.

“That was a pretty thrilling thing for me,” she said.

As Lieutenant Governor of the Kiwanis Clubs (Div. 7), she set a record for the most trees planted simultaneously on May 5, 2005, with the Helping Hands Joint Reforestation Project, making it into the Guinness Book of World Records.

In 2000, the founders of Meals on Wheels came to the Kiwanis High Noon Club requesting they take over the operation and responsibility of the program, as its volunteer base was aging.

The club agreed to their request and hired Bremner to manage the program. She continues to do so.

“Well I care about our community. We have a wonderful city, we have a wonderful valley, and the people here are just amazing,” Bremner said.

“It’s so wonderful to work with people that like what they’re doing, love what they’re doing, [and] want to be where they are.”