Loyalist College helps United Way

By Renée Rodgers

Customers pay for their items at the table while public relations students work in the back to get all the items organized during October's truckload sale. Photo by Taylor Renkema

Money donated to the United Way of Quinte by the Loyalist College community will help the agency reach this year’s goal of $1.65-million.

Maureen Piercy, president of Loyalist College, presented Judi Gilbert, the local agency’s executive director, and Dave Allen, the campaign chairman, with a cheque for almost $30,000 on Nov. 24.

The money was raised through special events on campus such as the popular annual United Way truckload sale, which offers discounted sales of staples such as shampoo and razors in bulk.
Post-graduate public relations students at Loyalist were also instrumental in organizing fundraisers for the agency.

Gilbert said the agency is currently about half way to achieving this year’s goal. In fact, she said it’s currently doing slightly better than it was at this time last year.

“We’re probably a couple per cent ahead of where we were last year,” she said. “But we don’t want people to think that just because we are two or three per cent ahead that we don’t need their support. Obviously if we can exceed our goal that would be wonderful.”

Last year, the agency’s goal was $1.63-million, a goal the agency reached.

Gilbert said the agency is still waiting on large donations from their top 20 workplace contributors, many of which are still in the midst of campaigns.

The money raised by the United Way of Quinte will go towards almost 50 local agencies including Big Brothers and Sisters, the Victorian Order of Nurses and Gleaner’s Food Bank.

Gilbert stressed that it’s important to give to those who are less fortunate, especially at this time of year.

“Times are tough for a lot of individuals and I think that we all feel that,” she said. “So it’s really wonderful that people continue to give. I think we have to recognize that as much as we feel the crunch in our own pocketbooks, in our own daily lives, the people that are truly in need are feeling it that much more.”