On November 29, 2022 Bow Valley College hosted our second annual Giving Day, a one-day fundraising campaign on Giving Tuesday, a worldwide generosity movement designed to support philanthropy and giving across sectors. Thanks to the support of alumni, donors, staff, students, and our community, we raised more than $98,000 – almost double our goal of $50,000! 

This year’s Giving Day focused on addressing food insecurity on our campuses. Over the last 9 months, we have heard that many students in our College community are facing hardships and challenges, including food insecurity, and we wanted to provide immediate support so our students can meet their basic needs and focus on their studies.

Bow Valley College student and SABVC Internal Director Taiani Bressan shared that she felt the struggle of food insecurity firsthand. “As a student, I can attest to the difficulty of concentrating in class without a healthy breakfast or writing an exam after skipping lunch. Without proper nourishment, students have a more difficult time sleeping well, concentrating, attending classes, studying, and delivering assignments,”Taiani noted of the struggle to succeed in class when students skip meals or can’t afford food.

“We strive to create a culture of philanthropy on our campuses, and Giving Day is an opportunity to engage with our college community. All dollars raised over Giving Day go directly towards supporting our students,” says Alison Farrell, Senior Development Officer with Bow Valley College. “Thanks to support from our community, we raised more than $98,000 on Giving Day to inspire a brighter future for our students through initiatives tackling food insecurity, awards, and bursaries.”

Of the funds raised, more than $20,000 will directly support food insecurity on our campus through the Soup Social programs (a hot soup lunch is provided to students on a drop-in basis to provide nourishment and connection) and the Food Insecurity Emergency Bursary. This support will make an immediate impact as we will provide students in need with gift cards to purchase groceries and meet their basic needs. 

We are proud of our Bow Valley College community for joining together to inspire a brighter future for our students. We know that education is the greatest agent of social change and thanks to our College community, our students can access the resources they need to complete their education and change their lives.

To learn more about Giving Day or other fundraising initiatives at Bow Valley College and how you can support our students, visit Give to Bow Valley College.