Almost $380,000 was raised this fall to help Vancouver Island University students in financial need.
The VIU access fund is intended to address students' financial challenges. In the past year some of the programs it was used to support included a laptop loan program, a grocery shuttle as well as two different programs that lend professional clothing to students for field work or job interviews. The fund also provides bursaries ranging from $500 to $2,000, depending on need.
In a press release, Richard Horbachewski, VIU's chief advancement officer and executive director of the VIU Foundation, said the focus on the fund this year resonated with donors.
The annual Giving Tuesday event, which is a day when non-profits and various organizations encourage potential donors to give, surpassed the university's goal by nearly $30,000.
“With inflation and rising costs of living, we know students are struggling more than ever to meet basic needs while they access the education that will help them follow their career aspirations,” he said. “We are grateful to both our longtime and new donors for their support for our students."
The first professional clothing program supported by the fund this year is called 'the gear closet'. The gear closet loans field equipment including waders, steel-toed boots as well as waterproof pants and jackets, through a process which compares itself to checking items out of the library.
The other clothing program opens this spring, known as 'career closet', which provides students with professional clothing to wear for job interviews.
In a press release, Mike Lester, VIU resource management and protection technician, said that the gear closet came out of a problem in recent years of students showing up for field work wearing jeans and sneakers, rather than waterproof gear.
“In many cases, this is happening because a lot of this equipment is so expensive and they don’t have the means to buy it, especially the first-year students,” he said.
