Cambrian College in Sudbury helping students for 'Giving Tuesday'

Staff and students at Cambrian College in Sudbury came together to mark 'Giving Tuesday' this year by raising money for various funds that help support students.

'Giving Tuesday' is a global movement that began in 2012 and encourages generosity and community support.

Students, faculty, alumni, and community and industry partners of Cambrian College spent the day collecting donations for different funds the college has in place to help students. They include scholarships and bursaries, the student food bank, the emergency hardship fund, and the Equipment Renewal Fund.

The Equipment Renewal Fund was identified as the top priority for this year's campaign. It's used to make sure students have access to the latest equipment and technology in classrooms, labs, and workshops.

"It could be something as simple as a new piece of equipment down in trades to support our welding students, for example, all the way up to IT-based technology for students in our business programs," said Brandi Braithwaite, director of development and alumni at Cambrian College.

"The world is changing. Technology is rapidly evolving and you know, being able to keep up with that is incredibly important because we want to be putting our students out prepared in the workforce for, you know, what they're actually going to be encountering."

Braithwaite said the school's goal this year was to raise $30,000 for the various funds, and they had almost reached that amount halfway through the day.

She said students are always in a position where funds of any kind will help, especially through the holiday season.

"The more support that we can give students, the better."

Matthew Pheaton is a second-year student in the Computer Programming - Internet of Things (CPIN) program at Cambrian College. He says the school prioritizing the Equipment Renewal Fund is important in order to keep up with the latest technology needed in sectors like mining.

"I can't express how important it is to have up-to-date software, up-to-date hardware," said Pheaton. 

"We need to maintain our level of sophistication because we are working with the mining industry to revamp their automation and doing driverless systems down in the mines."

In addition to the fundraising, some students also organized a food drive for those on campus in need of items like canned goods, fresh foods, household items, games, and hygiene products. 

The 'Fill Hearts, Fill Bags' initiative was started this year by students in the Service Learning Experience class.

"We had a bunch of students bring in food and collect donations and then we also had a bunch of money donations as well," said  one of the organizers, Briah Tear.

Tear said all the donated items were snapped up by students within 45 minutes.