Niagara College has launched a multi-year fundraising campaign aimed at helping the postsecondary institution with a number of initiatives.

The college announced its campaign, called Together, which has been created to raise $50 million for expansion of facilities, improvements to student access, to provide diverse and inclusive learning environments, global competencies and perspectives, and productivity and innovation.

The college launched the campaign on April 6 at its annual Renaissance Gala at Fallsview Casino. This event has raised more than $3.5 million in its 32-year history.

“We live in a changing world that is marked by significant needs — for frontline health-care workers and skilled tradespeople, increased access and enhanced experiences for students,” said Sean Kennedy, the college’s president. “Niagara College is uniquely positioned to address these challenges, but we can’t do it alone.”

The campaign has six parts: solving the skilled trades crisis, solving the health-care crisis, empowering students to achieve their dreams, creating a more equitable and diverse college, graduating tomorrow’s global citizens and closing Canada’s productivity gap.

“We’re calling on our community to join us in embracing this historic opportunity to build a successful Niagara,” Kennedy said.

A multi-year effort, the goal of the fundraising is to support a range of projects and initiatives: new and expanded health and skilled trades facilities to increased scholarships and bursaries, new classrooms, alumni and student spaces, new housing and student services opportunities, expanded support for Black, Indigenous and students of colour, new study-abroad opportunities, expanded applied research and more.

Three significant donations were announced at the gala on April 6. 

The Joyce Family Foundation has donated $1.5 million to create the Joyce Family Foundation Healthcare and Skilled Trades Bursary program at Niagara.

The program will provide tuition and ancillary costs for several skilled trades, nursing and health-care students each year who come from the Niagara Region.

These bursaries will be renewable for each year of the recipient’s program of study. 

The Joyce Family Foundation is a private, family foundation, created by legendary Canadian entrepreneur Ronald V. Joyce to enact philanthropy that gives back to his community.

The McCall MacBain Foundation, meanwhile, has contributed to the campaign, but has asked details of the donation not be made public.

The McCall MacBain funds will help to graduate more nurses, personal support workers and paramedics.

The gift will be used to launch the ConfideNCe program, which will address anxiety and stress for students in applied health programs while also providing new resources to help these students’ success after graduation.

The McCall MacBain Foundation is named for John McCall MacBain and his wife, Marcy McCall MacBain, who founded the foundation in 2007 to provide scholarships and other educational opportunities.  

A third donor, the Embark Student Foundation, donated $500,000 to help launch the Indigenous Student Success Pathways project, which aims to embolden Indigenous students and support their education and career aspirations before, during and after their postsecondary studies.

It will also help develop opportunities for Indigenous students and forwarding calls to action related to Truth and Reconciliation at Niagara.  

“These are remarkable, transformational gifts,” said Gord Arbeau, the college’s vice-president of advancement. “They come from donors within and outside of our community reflecting the reach of our college outside the boundaries of Niagara, and they create a tremendous momentum as we move forward with our ambitious campaign.”

More information about the Together campaign can be found at niagaracollege.ca/together.