VIU’S FOUNDATION REVENUES GROW BY MORE THAN $1 MILLION

Thanks to the support of VIU’s community of donors, VIU’s Foundation Board was able to grow their annual revenues from $2.1 million to $3.2 million in the last fiscal year. The 22-member volunteer Foundation board works with donors and VIU’s Advancement & Alumni Relations Office to raise money to fund scholarships, awards and bursaries for students as well as improved learning environments.

“We appreciate the generosity of our donors who give to the Foundation in order to support VIU’s students,” says Dr. Ralph Nilson, VIU’s President. “Their work is particularly important at this time as post-secondary students continue to be challenged by increasing costs to their education.”

VIU’s Foundation was founded in 1994 (originally as the Malaspina Foundation) and is a registered charity. Bruce Williams, Chair of the Board, says they’re committed to increasing their investment in students on Vancouver Island.

“We’re working closely with our established donors and reaching out to new ones to ensure every student has access to post-secondary education so they can reach their full potential,” says Williams. “By doing this we also broaden the workplace skills available to employers and business owners, and in turn grow the prosperity of our region.”

Many people don’t know the impact donations from community members have on students and their learning experience. For many, financial support in the form of scholarships, awards and bursaries is the only means by which they’re able to continue their education. Others talk about how grateful they are that VIU is focused on building state-of-the-art facilities, such as the new Sidney R. and Gladys L. Sharman Nursing Simulation Lab set to open in fall 2013, so they can get a first class education without leaving their communities.

“We’ve heard from many students who tell us that without the financial support they received from the Foundation and our donors, they would not have been able to finish their degree,” says Julie Keenan, VIU’s Director of Advancement & Alumni. “The news that the Foundation was able to reach more donors and increase their revenues so dramatically during the last fiscal year will ensure many more students are able to get the financial support they need.”

For more information visit the [Foundation's website](http://www.viu.ca/giving/Foundation.asp) or call 250.740.6211.