Students at College of the Rockies will have access to more bursary funds, thanks to the college’s inaugural Giving Tuesday campaign.
“We joined a global movement for giving and volunteering and the community responded with enthusiasm,” said Graham Knipfel, director, donor and alumni engagement. “We’re grateful to everyone who supported our campaign and, in turn, our students.”
Giving Tuesday occurs worldwide after Black Friday each year and is intended to create an international day of charitable giving at the start of the holiday season. The college’s campaign saw cash donations to four featured bursaries as well as in-kind donations to their automotive service technician and practical nursing programs.
In the month surrounding the campaign, three new student bursaries were established: the Yoki Fine Arts bursary, the Meetings That Matter Leadership in Tourism and Hospitality bursary, and the Engineers Canada Indigenous Access to Engineering bursary.
The newly established engineering bursary received a nice boost with a generous donation from North Coal, an emerging steel-making coal producer based in Sparwood.
“Our project is in the BC Environmental approval process and is targeting first coal in 2023, at which time it will employ up to 300 individuals with family-supporting jobs, many in the STEM fields,” said Patty Vadnais, communications lead, North Coal. “As our project lies within the traditional territory of the Ktunaxa Nation, we commend the college and engineers Canada for creating a bursary to support the entry of Indigenous people into the engineering field.”
“We are grateful to North Coal for their generous support of our Engineering students,” Knipfel said. “I would also like to acknowledge additional top donors: David Walls, McElhanney Ltd., College of the Rockies’ Faculty Association, and Russ Kinghorn, whose generosity will also make a tremendous impact on our students.”
Contributions to the College’s scholarship and bursary program can be made at cotr.ca/giving or by emailing giving@cotr.bc.ca
