Niagara College partners up for $200,000 in Ukraine relief fund
Published March 31, 2022 at 3:13 pm
Students at Niagara College are letting the Ukrainian people know they are in their thoughts ever day – and backing it up with financial assistance.
Niagara College has partnered with 17 colleges across Ontario to make a joint donation of $200,000 to UNICEF’s Ukraine emergency fund.
“Niagara College stands with the people of Ukraine,” said Niagara College president Sean Kennedy. “We are proud to contribute to a fund that will help provide vital necessities and services for Ukrainian families who are experiencing hardship and loss.”
In addition to other supports, the 18 different colleges contributed to the joint donation, along with contributions from Colleges Ontario (the sector’s advocacy organization) and the Ontario College Application Service (OCAS).
At both of Niagara College campuses, support for Ukraine has been on display throughout the month of March, with students and employees showing their solidarity.
Handwritten messages of hope and support penned with care upon notes bearing blue and yellow hearts – the colours of the Ukrainian flag – are on display inside the Welland campus and the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The displays are located outside the College’s International division at both campuses – hubs for students from around the world, including the Ukraine, who have left their homelands to study at the College.
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As well, Niagara College International has been working with the students who have been impacted by recent events to ensure that they have mental and emotional supports in place and that there are no financial hardships incurred.
“As the world watches Ukraine, we recognize that the tragedy hits close to home for our own students, staff and faculty members,” said Kennedy. “I am proud of how our college community has come together to show that they care.”
However, some colleges have opted to make significant contributions solely as individual institutions. These include supports such as tuition relief programs, new scholarships, counselling programs, community partnerships and more.
“So many Ukrainian men, women and children are either displaced or living through the terrible situation in Ukraine,” said Linda Franklin, the president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. “This tragedy has affected everyone on our campuses and created a strong desire to help.”
Donations to the Ukraine emergency fund will support the organization’s ongoing programs and response to the escalating need in Ukraine by providing communities with safe water, urgent medical aid and health-care services, child protection and education. UNICEF has been working in Ukraine since 1997.
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