Over a period of two weeks, Red Deer Polytechnic staff and faculty raised over $13,000 in support of students and United Way Central Alberta partner organizations.
They held a wide range of community-building activities, including theme-dressing days, a coffee cart and other recreational activities.
“The activities that staff and faculty design contribute to a sense of community across the institution,” said Mara-Lee Moroz, Executive Director of People and Culture at Red Deer Polytechnic, who served as one of the volunteer co-chairs of the 2022 campaign.
“Emphasizing the breadth of United Way’s work, this year we worked together to highlight the Students’ Association Food Bank as one of the featured organizations where employees could direct their gifts. This was a valuable reminder that the constituencies the United Way benefits are our friends, neighbours, classmates and colleagues.”
The workplace campaign netted $7,880 for the Students’ Association (SA) Food Bank, in addition to 1,951 pounds of food items.
This year, the Students’ Association estimated that requests for support would deplete resources of the Food Bank before the end of December. Employees of Red Deer Polytechnic stepped into action, quickly incorporating the Food Bank into the annual fundraiser.
“As the Students’ Association, we often advocate for student needs, but we rarely ask for things outright. How the institution pulled together around this request for student support is absolutely amazing, especially considering that the cost of groceries right now is so high. As the representative of the students, I really appreciate this, and it makes me a bit emotional,” said Savannah Snow, President of the Students’ Association of Red Deer Polytechnic.
“I’m very grateful. Food security and mental health lead directly to student success and these donations are going to help significantly. I am very encouraged by how the institution pulled together for this.”
RDP President Stuart Cullum was proud of his institution’s commitment to the United Way Central Alberta.
“I’m inspired to see how our internal community came together to support our students and United Way Central Alberta partner organizations,” he said.
“Connecting the creative activities our employees organized to the critical work of United Way is one way in which our institution makes a tangible impact on our students and our community.”