Helping those in need wasn’t a tough sell for 230 students from the College’s School of Business and Management.
Students raised $16,713 for Raising the Roof by selling toques over the Winter term as part of their Professional Selling 1 class. Funds support creating and preserving affordable homes for those experiencing – or at risk of – homelessness.

Sales and Marketing student Alejandro Madrid and Raising the Roof Director of Resource Development and Communications Leslie Bellingham hold onto their hats after another successful term of toque sales wraps up at NC.
“Niagara College’s involvement in the Toque Campaign is a very significant part of the campaign each year. It is an excellent partnership, allowing both the students to get hands-on sales experience and for Raising the Roof to raise funds for homelessness, housing and employment initiatives,” said Leslie Bellingham, Director of Resource Development and Communications at Raising the Roof. “This year was no exception, the students did very well … [with] many students going above and beyond. We are thrilled with the results.”
Sales/Marketing/Entrepreneurship Professor Monique Finley noted that each student was asked to sell $100 worth of hats to friends, family and strangers.
“There is an art and skill to ‘sell’ … Some people might have wanted to buy a hat, but they were also ‘selling’ the opportunity to contribute to Raising the Roof, a charity that addresses homelessness in the area,” said Finley. “The experience of pitching a product/cause, collecting money and achieving a goal is foundational to the selling experience.”
Finley hoped that students experienced both the challenge and sense of accomplishment that go along with selling.
“It is not easy and some students found it uncomfortable,” said Finley. “Other students, like Alejandro Madrid, blew the sales target out of the water!”
Madrid, who is a first-year Sales and Marketing student, made his mark as the top seller this term. He more than doubled his target sales goal by selling 14 toques and bringing in $280.
“Participating in the toque campaign was a truly meaningful experience for me. I learned so much throughout the process, especially about the importance of supporting the cause to help homelessness,” said Madrid. “This class has taught me a lot, and I had a wonderful time being part of it this semester.”
Madrid (Niagara Falls) noted that he focused on personal, face-to-face conversations with people–friends, classmates, coworkers, and family.
“I made sure to explain what the campaign was all about and how the money would directly help youth experiencing homelessness. I think people responded really well to that genuine approach,” he said.
Professor Lucy Silvestri, whose classes also participated, said the initiative gave students the opportunity to put the selling skills they learn throughout the term into practice. It offered them a hands-on, face-to-face challenge to meet a set target.
“Many set much higher personal challenges and the assignment quickly becomes a competition,” said Silvestri. “The students are proud to be out in the community representing Niagara College and raising funds for this wonderful cause.
Bellingham helped kick off the initiative by visiting classes involved at the College in early February. She provided students with information about Raising the Roof, their affordable housing and employment wraparound support programs, and distributed toques to the students.
Bellingham noted that every toque sold for Raising the Roof supports creating and preserving more affordable homes for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Funds raised will go toward the building and preserving of more units and making sure the tenants have the supports they need to stay housed and achieve their goals.
Students from NC’s School of Business and Management have been selling toques for Raising the Roof during Winter term for about 10 years.
They also support Raising the Roof by selling baseball caps during Fall term. Last fall, 70 students raised $5,894 through cap sales for their Professional Selling course.
Bellingham noted that before 2019, Raising the Roof mainly supported other organizations in their homelessness prevention initiatives. Over the past six years, they have been directly and actively, creating homes with supports. The creation and maintenance of homes are also being used as hands-on trades training opportunities.
“In that short time, we have helped 155 people who were experiencing homelessness move into safe, stable, affordable homes with supports, and we are just getting started,” said Bellingham.
Raising the Roof’s Toque Campaign has been reaching Canadians for 26 years, raising over $9 million. The campaign supports Raising the Roof’s homelessness prevention initiatives, as well as front-line homelessness agencies across the country. For details visit the Raising the Roof website here.
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