Anna Voskuil | News Editor
Featured Image: The York Cares Campaign hopes to raise $180,000 this year. | Courtesy of Pexels
The York Cares United Way Campaign has started off strong.
The Campaign holds annual fundraising events for the United Way Greater Toronto—a branch of the wider not-for-profit United Way—which aims to provide support for social services across the GTA community.
Consistently, over $170,000 have been raised through York Cares donations to help fund local programming and organizations. This year, the Campaign hopes to raise $180,000.
On November 9, a fundraiser was held for the Campaign in both the Bennett Centre for Student Services, as well as the Central Square Cafeteria. Hosted by Vice-Provost, Students in the Division of Students, Lucy Fromowitz, students were offered soup and a roll of bread for $3, with all proceeds going to the United Way.
This event came shortly after the Campaign’s fundraising kick-off event on October 26, which included a $2 early-morning pancake breakfast for the York community.
Executive Director, Student Success, Brendan Schulz, volunteered alongside Fromowitz at the event in Central Square.
On why the Division chose to get involved, Schulz explains: “Really, it’s for York’s campaign, that’s the one part, but it’s also important that these events benefit students and staff, so we like to do something in that regard.”
Beyond its service to the York community and fundraising for United Way, Schulz adds that the event also encouraged employee engagement, “because it’s a great way for many of us to get out and volunteer, and serve soup and have some fun.”
Further, he says there was great energy surrounding the event. “I think people there were in the spirit of doing something that was good, and the soup was legitimately tasty.”
Further, Schulz recalls the positive energy surrounding the event: “We had a number of our staff who were also hamming it up a little bit, calling out to the crowd, to encourage people to come get soup.
“We were set up in Central Square, really close to where people were buying pizza, so we kept calling out that the soup pairs really well with pizza.”
He notes that roughly $800 was raised from the fundraiser, which came from serving about 250 people.
“If you feel good about what you’re giving out to the crowd and know you’re raising the money for a good cause, it’s easy to have a smile on your face,” Schulz says.
Upcoming York Cares events include a CN Tower Stair Climb on November 24. Participants will meet at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the event, which will take place between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m.
This week, York Cares will be hosting a silent auction on November 14 and 15 from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m, in Room 135 in the West Office Building. Tickets to student-made productions will be sold, as well as hand-made jewelry, memberships to the Ontario Science Centre, and much more.
