The Niagara College Student Administrative Council (NCSAC) got serious about giving back this holiday season with a handful of initiatives designed to benefit NC students as well as the broader community. During the months leading up to the holidays, NCSAC rolled out a series of fundraising campaigns, some new while other were tried and true.
Beginning in September, NCSAC braced the College community for a cold winter with their first NC coat drive. NCSAC collected gently used toques, winter jackets, sweaters, scarves, mittens and gloves to distribute to NC students who may be struggling to keep warm this winter. This initiative reached dozens of students across both campuses.
“Our first ever Your Winter Coat drive was slow to start but in the end we helped over 50 students stay warm this winter,” said Chris Williams, NCSAC Manager of Student Services. “This is an initiative we will be continuing with moving forward and one we hope to see grow as the years pass.”
NCSAC’s giving spirit extended to the broader community with a toy drive for Niagara children. Through late November and early December, students across both campuses could select an ornament from their NC Libraries’ Christmas trees featuring the age and gender of a child in need. Once students had picked their ornament, they shopped for an age appropriate gift for a child that may have otherwise not received a present this year.
“With NC being a major part of two communities in the Niagara region, we are always looking to support in any way we can,” said Andy Hall, NCSAC Marketing Communications Manager. “We were able to take a car load of toys from each campus to help ensure children had a present at Christmas.”
Toy donations from the Welland Campus were delivered to the Community Christmas Toys drive while donations from the NOTL Campus were delivered to Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold.
NCSAC’s final holiday initiative sought to benefit students and the community with their Donate to Caffeinate campaign that gave students a free campus hot beverage in exchange for non-perishable food donations. NCSAC donated the all food items to The Hope Centre in Welland.
