The numbers are in from the Great Canadian Giving Challenge, and some of that money is going to support Lakeland students needing a financial boost.
The month-long national contest was put on by Canada Helps. For every dollar donated to the student relief fund, one entry was given to the school for a chance to win $20,000. While Lakeland did not win the grand prize, the school received just over $2,500 in donations from the challenge.
Lakeland Development Officer Stacey Ruller says the money will go towards the Save Our Students Bursary, which helps students that need it the most.
“The SOS bursary was designed to assist students who are in dire financial need. These students are students whose circumstances have come up or all of the sudden they have no additional funding sources. So without this bursary, they are not able to attend post-secondary.”
The College’s goal is to provide 25 students with the $4,000 bursary, a goal they’ve been able to reach since the program’s inception. It comes at a welcome time for students, many of whom are concerned about the cost of post-secondary. According to a survey by Statistics Canada, 51 per cent of students believe they will have trouble paying for tuition this fall.
Ruller explains that they’ll use the SOS Bursary to help as many students as possible, and if they can help more than 25, they will.
“It really is a complete gamechanger for the students. A lot of these students have told us that without this bursary they would not be able to attend post-secondary, or they would have to withdraw. It’s allowed them to take that weight off their shoulders, know that they can take the better step, the step to make a new career choice.”
The College is now in the planning stages of more fundraisers, however, they will have to work around the ongoing pandemic. Ruller adds that any amount helps, and people who want to donate can contact the college directly to get started.