Upcoming events on campus will raise money and awareness for North Shore causes
Carlin Parkin // Contributor
This semester, Capilano University will once again be partnering with United Way of the Lower Mainland, to gear up for a campaign to raise money and awareness for various United Way sponsored projects on the North Shore.
Programs on campus will run from Oct. 16 to Nov. 17, and feature events such as a paper airplane toss, a pancake breakfast, a book sale and 50/50 draws. The money raised on campus will go toward local organizations backed by the United Way, such as the North Shore Neighbourhood House or the bc211 help line.
“It’s really important for Cap to be giving back to our local community,” said Erin Berry, Human Resources manager of development and engagement at CapU and employee campaign chair for this year’s campaign. “We’re the only university on the North Shore, we have a strong connection with all of our community partners, so it’s really important that our donations that we create here stay here and create an impact here too.”
To that end, the upcoming events on campus will be collecting donations, but Berry stressed that the events are also put on to raise awareness about what the United Way is, what they do and the difference they make locally.
The first event of the campaign will be an airplane toss on Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Birch cafeteria, where students and staff will create paper airplanes and launch them from the second level mezzanine onto a bullseye target in a kiddie pool. Whoever gets the closest to the target will win a term parking pass.
A pancake breakfast will be held on Oct. 31 from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., also in the Birch cafeteria. There is a $5 minimum donation to participate in the pancake breakfast, but participants in costume will receive $1 back, with and another $1 off if they bring a non-perishable food item for the Capilano Students’ Union (CSU) food bank.
From Oct. 16 to Nov. 6, students and staff are encouraged to donate their used books, CDs, DVDs and records for a two-day book sale on Nov. 7 and 8 in the Birch cafeteria. Sorry students, no textbooks allowed.
At each of these events, tickets can be bought for two 50/50 draws to be made on Oct. 31 and Nov. 17.
Capilano employees can donate to the United Way via payroll deduction or credit card, and students can donate via cash or cheque by filling out a pledge form. For students, a donation of $25 or more is tax deductible.
“This year, our goal [for money raised] is $16,000 with CapU,” said Peter Ko, campaign associate with United Way of the Lower Mainland. “And [in terms of] involvement, obviously every year we look for 100 per cent participation, but I feel as long as there is awareness about what United Way is doing locally, that, for me and United Way, is sufficient.”
Students who would like to volunteer at the events are welcome to sign up by clicking the “Volunteer Portal” link at Capilanou.ca but everyone is welcome.
As a final note, Berry added, “We just encourage everyone to come out, have fun, buy some 50/50 tickets, y some paper airplanes and hopefully win a parking pass.”
Follow the CapU United Way campaign on Twitter @UWCapU, Facebook Capilano University United Way, and Instagram @CapilanoUnitedWay for updates.