Community connections build the future

Support students in finding their niche on Giving Day, Nov. 29

In 2021, Mount Royal University held its inaugural Giving Day, a 24-hour campaign focusing efforts on raising critical funds for current and future students, providing support in and out of the classroom.

This year’s Giving Day will take place on Nov. 29, and will offer several fun challenges in which to take part.

“Giving Day is when we shine a light on philanthropy within our own community and how any gift — large or small — can make a difference,” says MRU president and vice-chancellor Tim Rahilly, PhD. “Last year, 671 donors raised $262,646.86, of which $107,000 went towards student awards. Those are funds that provide immediate relief to students.”

Sixty years of graduates gave on Giving Day 2021, representing every decade from the 1950s to the 2020s. Cougar Athletics, the MRU Conservatory and everything in between received support from generous donors. 

The impact of a gift

Alyson Stauffer
Recipient of the APEGA Education Foundation Bursary

 

Financial insecurity is something university students like Alyson Stauffer know well.

“It’s kind of always in the back of your head,” she says. However, being awarded the APEGA (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta) Education Foundation Bursary had a huge impact on her “more than just financially.” She has had additional time to spend on the classes and projects for her Bachelor of Science — Geology and feels more connected to the geoscience community thanks to the bursary.

“I’ve been able to be a larger part of APEGA and that makes me feel more comfortable in the community, so I have been able to develop closer connections with those organizations.”

Stauffer encourages companies and organizations to continue setting up scholarships like the APEGA Education Foundation Bursary because they get students engaged with industry long before they graduate.

“It creates that community where (people)  graduate and become employees for these organizations, so I think it is really beneficial.”

For Giving Day 2022, students have identified mental health and wellness and student awards and bursaries as their priority areas of need. A major goal for this year is to grow MRU’s scholarship endowment to $50 million from its current status of $47.5 million. In addition, as part of MRU’s drive to meet the growing and evolving needs of students and to align with the post-secondary sector on scholarship supports, donors and alumni have contributed more than  $5,000 to go towards work being done by MRU as guided by the Suicide Prevention Strategic Framework.

There are a million reasons to give. What’s yours?