As part of the legacy of the Nanaimo 2014 BC Summer Games, the Nanaimo BC Summer Games Award was established in 2015 to award two students who participated in the Games from the Nanaimo area. One male and one female student are chosen annually to receive a $1,000 scholarship, which is paid for by the legacy funds through the Nanaimo Foundation. The Foundation matched the $30,000 distributed through the legacy fund in 2014 for a total of $60,000.
The Nanaimo 2014 BC Summer Games raised a record amount of $775,000 to host the Games, $65,000 of which was given to community projects: $20,000 to the City of Nanaimo for a score clock installed at Merle Logan Field, $15,000 to Downtown Nanaimo Business Improvement Association to build a portable community stage, and $30,000 to the Nanaimo Foundation to provide the two annual $1,000 scholarships. The legacy fund is an important aspect of hosting the Games and benefits the community for years to come, long after the four-day event is over.
The Nanaimo 2014 BC Summer Games Awards are a great example of a legacy that continues to benefit the host community and encourages alumni to seek higher levels of education and give back to their community. To qualify for the award, recipients must be graduating students from the Nanaimo area who will be attending an accredited post-secondary institution. The students must be alumni of the BC Games – either as an athlete, official, coach, or volunteer – and must have demonstrated a commitment to community service through participation in school and/or community activities during their Grade 11 and 12 years.
The 2019 award recipients were Zachary Taylor and Jada Nykwist, who each received the $1000 scholarship money in June, awarded by the Nanaimo-Ladysmith Schools Foundation. Zachary Taylor competed at the Nanaimo 2014 BC Summer Games in rugby and graduated from John Barsby Community School, and Jada Nykwist competed at the Abbotsford 2016 BC Summer Games in soccer and graduated from Wellington Secondary School; both are currently attending Vancouver Island University.