BY WENDY CZAKO-MAH
Another two weeks of United Way fundraising at the college has come and gone, with faculty, staff and students donating generously.
Campaign organizers set a goal of $50,000, with approximately 50 per cent of that being raised as of Oct. 29.
According to Janina Robinson, a Student Life programmer at the college, the final amount raised won’t be known until later this week.
“All the student events finished Nov. 2,” said Robinson.
The college kickoff was Oct. 17 and featured guest speakers who talked about the agency’s three focus areas: Poverty to Possibilities, Healthy People, Strong Community, and All that Kids Can Be.
The United Way is an organization that believes that together, we can strengthen the community for all. It supports agencies with funding so they can offer services to better improve lives in the community.
These non-profit organizations include the John Howard Society of Waterloo-Wellington and Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
“I think it’s important for students to be aware of the United Way because it is so far-reaching in our community,” Robinson said. “You may not know someone is accessing the resources that they fund, but it’s really important in terms of overall community benefit.”
At Conestoga, the United Way Student Committee this year consists of 12 students who have dedicated their time since the end of September.
Paulina Cisneros, a volunteer and a student in the human resources program, said, “I’ve worked for organizations in the past that have been funded by the United Way, and I’m just happy to be helping out. It gives you the skills of fundraising and I really enjoy it.”
A number of fundraising events were put together and organized by the student committee and the business foundation students as part of their curriculum. One event was the pumpkin-carving contest, held Oct. 29.
“The students on the committee have been having meetings once a week for the past six weeks,” said Robinson. “It’s mid-terms now and they’re still all coming out to the meetings. It’s pretty impressive.
“I really enjoy getting to work with the students for the United Way and I think it’s really a true testament to what they feel is important,” she said.
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