It’s been a season of generosity here at Northern Lights College (NLC). Over the months of November and December, NLC along with the Northern Lights College Foundation, participated in numerous activities all aimed at giving back to our students and our communities.
Check out all the ways Northern Lights College and the NLC Foundation gave back this holiday season.
Giving Day
Giving day started on November 1 with the launch of the 50/50 draw. The campaign continued through the month securing community partners, and a matching donor with Common Creek Contracting. They offered to match all donations up to $1,000.
December 2 was the official Giving Day, with the Foundation team set up at both Fort St John and Dawson Creek campuses to offer cookie decorating, bracelet making, and games and prizes. They also sold cinnamon buns, and ornaments made by our millwright students. At the end of the day, they surpassed their $12,500 goal. There was also a lucky winner of the 50/50 who walked away with $2,572.50.
Online Auction
The annual NLC Christmas Auction ran from November 20 to December 5 and featured donations from staff, students, and community members. Items included fire pits made by our Welding Fabrication students, a chicken coop donated by the Marketing and Communications department, watercolour paintings painted by Jessie Drew, VP of Community Relations & Institutional Strategy, wooden trees and dog houses made by our Carpentry students, and a metal sculpture made by one of our Welding students.
The total raised by the auction was $5,662, which allowed us to support three families as well as 10 charities and foodbanks across our region. At the Dawson Creek Christmas party, we also accepted pajama donations as well.
Trees of Tomorrow and Tim Hortons Smile Cookies
Also in November, the Foundation hosted Trees of Tomorrow, a sumptuous dinner fundraiser where attendees bid on decorated Christmas trees. This event was remarkably successful with donations totalling $42,725.
They also partnered with Tim Hortons in Chetwynd for Smile cookies from November 17-23 and made a total of $5,484 for the Foundation and Tim Hortons Camps.
Turkeys and Cookies
In preparation for Rotary Sunrise Dawson Creek’s annual Community Christmas Dinner on December 7, Chef Reagan King and the Professional Cook students cooked 16 turkeys. Rotarians, students, and faculty then volunteered to slice up the turkeys and make all the fixings to go with it, including about 100 litres of gravy. They prepared enough food for more than 400 people.
On Monday Dec 15, the NLC Foundation with DC Dance Co. braved the blizzarding weather to head up to Rotary Manor and decorate cookies with the residents. DC Dance Co. purchased the cookie boxes through Giving Day and provided them along with the decorations for the dancers and seniors to decorate together.
Still more to go
We’re still not done giving back this holiday season. Between now and Christmas, student councils in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek are hosting their Grant-A-Wish program for students. Students confidentially share a story about themselves or an introduction explaining who they are, what their wish is, and why they need it. Student council then uses their budget to grant the wishes for the students.
NLC values the communities we serve and will continue to give back in the new year. To keep up-to-date on our ongoing initiatives, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn or go to nlc.bc.ca/nlcgivesback.