THUNDER BAY - Students and staff at Confederation College are feeling the giving spirit this year and its annual fundraiser raised nearly $50,000 in support of students and the surrounding community.
“It feels great,” said Confederation College President, Kathleen Lynch. “I think if you see the campaign as its going on, you see the support from the staff, the students, our visitors, everybody gets together and really chips in.”
The total raised this year was $49,112. Of the total, $13,695 will be directed toward the United Way, $13,695 for student awards and programs, and $15,652 will be used to support Stock the Bank, Confederation College’s Student Emergency Fund and Food Bank.
The money was raised through various events and campaigns, including the Business Students upcycled product sales, employee donations of an hour’s pay, and a friendly fundraising/food collection competition between departments.
Martin Wyant, CEO of United Way Thunder Bay, said the money raised will be used to support 29 local agencies and 59 human service programs.
“All the money we are able to raise helps us address important needs for the more vulnerable people in our community,” Wyant said. “It’s exciting and gratifying to see students and staff at Confederation College come together around these kinds of issues with us and it makes a big difference in all of the work that we do.”
Wyant added that it is great to see the student body getting involved and helping those in need beyond the college campus.
“This place and the people in it are such a huge part of our community and to see them look beyond the walls of the college is really important and sets a good example for others,” he said.
But sometimes the students themselves need assistance, which is why the Stock that Bank program is so important.
Vignesh Viswanathan, president of the Student Union of Confederation College, said the on-campus food bank sees students coming in on a daily basis. This year, 7,070 food items were collected for the Stock the Bank program, which is a new record.
Lynch said seeing the students and staff come together and raise to help each other and the community at large really helps raise morale and brings everyone a little closer together.
“For the college it is all about supporting our students and our students are members of the community and people don’t realize but often students are in need themselves, so they use our food bank, emergency loans,” she said. “We have a number of international students who may have unseen expenses that they did not anticipate, so through the generosity of our students and staff, we are able to support them.”
