February 26, 2006 - 4:00pm
The 11th annual Festival of Trees Christmas celebration at Malaspina University-College’s Nanaimo campus raised a record $119,000.
"That’s a 40 percent increase over 2004," said George Hrabowych, chair of the 2005 Festival of Trees Steering Committee and a Malaspina Foundation Director.
"We’re extremely proud and pleased with the results. The Festival’s success is due to the phenomenal support we received from community volunteers, corporate sponsors, as well as Malaspina students, staff and faculty. Thanks to everyone involved."
Net proceeds from the event will go to student scholarships, awards, bursaries and endowment funds.
The 2005 Festival of Trees celebration, which took place November 25 to December 10, included two sold-out events – a Gala Dinner/Dance and the annual Business Lunch. Each event attracted 250 people. The Festival included two popular Family Days and three Public Days, which drew more than 3,000 people to the Nanaimo campus.
"Over 1,000 children received "Future Mal-U student" stickers at our Family Days events," said Susie Caswell, Manager of Special Events for the Foundation. "One of our goals was to provide opportunities for families and community members to visit the campus and enjoy themselves, and raise the profile of Malaspina at the same time."
Malaspina student volunteers played a huge role in this year’s Festival, added Caswell. Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management, Tourism and Recreation, Nursing and International Education students assisted with various aspects of the Festival, from helping to organize children’s activities, to preparing food for Festival events, to providing hospitality service.
Support from the business community also exceeded expectations for 2005. "We broke our previous record for corporate sponsorships thanks to the business community and all our Festival sponsors," said Caswell.
Tags: In the Community
