Message from President Kennedy: NC launches Together, our largest-ever fundraising campaign

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President Sean Kennedy

I’m pleased to share that at our successful Renaissance Gala on April 6, Niagara College announced the largest fundraising campaign in our history to a sold-out crowd of more than 700 business and community leaders and supporters.

The Together campaign will raise funds to support new and expanded facilities outlined in our Master Plan, student access, diverse and inclusive learning environments, global competencies and perspectives, and productivity and innovation. The multi-year campaign, which aims to raise $50 million, is built on six pillars: solving the skilled trades crisis, solving the healthcare crisis, empowering students to achieve their dreams, advancing a more equitable and diverse college, graduating tomorrow’s global citizens, and closing Canada’s productivity gap.

The Together campaign recognizes our unique position to lead economic, social and cultural development and innovation in our community. Niagara College educates highly skilled and knowledgeable graduates and the campaign also seeks to engage more of our 120,000-plus alumni, who are making a difference in Niagara and around the globe.

We know that we can’t do this work alone. The Together campaign calls on our community to join us in embracing this historic opportunity to build a successful Niagara.

The Together campaign was launched at the successful Renaissance Gala on April 6. The annual gala, Niagara College’s premier fundraising event, has raised more than $3.5 million in support of student success over its 32 year history.

Already, the campaign has generated significant support, including three transformational gifts announced at the Gala:

  • The Joyce Family Foundation has provided an exceptional gift of $1.5 million to create the Joyce Family Foundation Healthcare and Skilled Trades Bursary program at Niagara College. The program will provide tuition and ancillary costs for several skilled trades, nursing and healthcare students through a bursary that is renewable for each year of the recipient’s program of study. This transformational bursary fund will exist in perpetuity, and directly support the urgent need for more frontline healthcare workers and skilled tradespeople.
  • The McCall MacBain Foundation has provided a generous gift to launch the ConfideNCe program, a student-focused and trailblazing initiative that will address anxiety and stress for students in applied health programs, while also providing new resources to help these students’ success after graduation. This gift will help to graduate more nurses, personal support workers and paramedics.
  • The Embark Student Foundation has provided a generous gift of $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. Embark selected Niagara College as one of only seven inaugural postsecondary recipients across Canada, and its gift represents the College’s largest single philanthropic gift in support of Indigenous education. The gift will contribute directly to developing opportunities for Indigenous students and forwarding calls to action related to Truth and Reconciliation at Niagara College.

You can learn more about the Together campaign or contribute here. I encourage you to explore the projects and initiatives that this campaign will support as we look forward, together.

Carpentry students craft custom display for Niagara College Gala

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“I’m happy to work on this so that other students have the same opportunities as me.”

Those were the words of Manuel Perez, one of the final term students in the Carpentry and Renovation Technician Co-op program who lent their time and talents to handcraft a new visual marquee display that will be unveiled on April 6 at the 32nd Annual Niagara College Gala, the College’s signature fundraising event.

Manuel Perez working in the Carpentry lab.

Perez, an international student from Chile, received top marks in the School of Trades, earning him an Academic Award valued at $500 for the Winter 2024 term. In 2023, Perez also received the Keith Segal Guard.Me International Scholarship for academic performance valued at $1,000.

“It has helped me out to pay my tuition and it was a great relief, so I’m happy that other students will have the same opportunities as me,” said Perez.

The three-foot-tall display features four free-standing letters and NC button crafted from birch plywood and poplar veneers, spray-painted NC-blue, and lit by Edison bulbs – 56 in total.

Manuel Perez and professor Alexander Lukacs.

“Our team is excited and proud to be highlighting the talents of our incomparable skilled trades students and faculty at this year’s RenaissaNCe Gala, taking place on April 6,” said Shannon Boeckner, Senior Director, Development and Donor Stewardship. “We are grateful for their exceptional work and dedication to showcasing their skills — all in support of NC’s largest annual student fundraiser event.”

Perez was joined by fellow students Cole Ciceron of St. Catharines, Daniel Diaz Garcia of Colombia, Shan Ye of China, Yonelissa Encarnacion Lagares of the Dominican Republic, Tony Chan of Buffalo, NY, Waldeck Demetrius of Haiti, and Rishi Avinash Loorkhoor of Trinidad and Tobago. The team worked over in the carpentry lab throughout the Winter to get the project done in time for the Gala.

The team of NC woodworking wizards spent over 200 hours on the display using the skills they acquired in instructor Alexander Lukacs’s Architectural Millwright course. The project was a chance to learn new techniques like making thousands of meticulous saw cuts to create the curves of the “G” and NC button, and detailed spray-painting work.

“Projects like these allow our students to hone the skills they’ve learned or are currently learning here at Niagara College in a controlled environment,” said Lukacs. “It also gives them an opportunity to see and experience the pressures of delivering a project to a customer for a set deadline while working alongside their instructors. For us as faculty, it’s a chance to connect with our student body on a more personal level and experience the college through their eyes.”

The student team was led by expert faculty, including professors Alex Lukacs and James McQueen, and technologist Marco Giorgi. The project was a collaborative effort with electrical professor Tim Bunz who installed the wiring for the lights, Civil Engineering program coordinator, Tony Ogilvie, who designed the lighting schematic, and Peter Voynovich from the School of Media who created the design.

Thirty-seven-year-old Perez studied Carpentry at a university in his native Chile before deciding to pursue his studies – and a new life with his wife – in Niagara. He completed his co-op with Empire Communities, a local housing development company, taking on the role of Project Manager where he learned the ins and outs of the inspection process.

“This region is going to grow a lot because of the housing crisis so we can expect growth and that population needs the trades.”

“The work of carpentry is beautiful. When you do it, you fall in love with it,” said Perez. “For me, it is a perfect match between creativity and building the ideas that you have in your mind and turning it into something physical.”

The letters display will be featured at the Gala annually as a visual reminder of the talents of NC students and the impact of the generosity of donors who have raised more than $3.3 million in support of equipment, learning resources, scholarships, and bursaries during the Gala’s 30-plus year history.

About the 32nd Annual Niagara College Gala

NC’s 2024 RenaissaNCe Gala will be an elegant celebration of student success featuring decadent dining, live music, entertainment, special announcements, and live and silent auctions that raise funds in support of equipment, learning resources, scholarships, and bursaries.

Learn more and purchase tickets here: niagaracollege.ca/gala.

Alumni employees sip, savour and connect

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Warmth went beyond the coffee served at two recent Employee Alumni Coffee Hour events hosted by Alumni Relations.

The events – held at the DJP Campus on February 26 and the Welland Campus February 29, gave NC alumni who are also employees an opportunity to connect with their peers and alumni colleagues on campus while enjoying complimentary beverages and treats.

“Engaging with our employee alumni is always so rewarding as their passion for Niagara College can be felt in the room,” said Jana Boniferro, Director, Alumni Relations. “We look forward to continued opportunities to come together and build on the momentum that’s gathering within our alumni community.”

In addition to almost 100 employees who are also alumni, guests included NC President Sean Kenney (Welland and DJP campuse) and Vice-President Advancement Gord Arbeau (Welland Campus).

“One of the best compliments we received from attendees is that it was such a warm atmosphere and the alum felt such pride being a part of it,” said Jana Boniferro, Director, Alumni Relations. “We elevated the décor and invested in some good swag, so our alumni felt taken care of and appreciated.”

Following the success of the College’s inaugural coffee hour events last year, NC’s alumni employees can look forward to more upcoming events – including an outdoor, on-campus event to kick off the summer. Alumni Relations is already planning to host a Summer Celebration Event on Tuesday, June 25th from 3-5.p.m at the Wine Visitor + Education Centre.

The Welland Campus Event was held Feb. 29

Stay connected

All NC alumni employees are encouraged to update their contact information with Alumni Relations to stay connected and to receive the latest updates about upcoming events.

Remember to RSVP for Alumni Coffee Hour

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It’s time to RSVP for Employee Alumni Coffee Hour!

Alumni Relations is hosting Employee Alumni Coffee Hour at the DJP Campus on February 26 at 3 p.m. (N002) and at the Welland Campus on February 29 at 3 p.m. (S174).

NC alumni who are also employees will have an opportunity to connect with their peers and alumni colleagues on campus while enjoying a warm beverage. Complimentary beverages (coffee, tea and juice) and treats will be available (while supplies last).

Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by emailing [email protected] along with the date/campus they plan to attend.

All internal alumni (whether or not they’re attending Internal Alumni Coffee Hour) are encouraged to update their contact information with Alumni Relations here.

Special Offer: Discounted NC Gala Tickets

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A message from Shannon Boeckner, Senior Director, Development & Donor Stewardship:

Niagara College’s 2024 Gala, RenaissaNCe, promises to be an outstanding event.

Taking place on Saturday, April 6, with live music, dancing, special announcements, student performances and a live and silent auction, NC students and alumni will truly be taking center stage in an evening dedicated to building program and scholarship support while celebrating the very special community that is Niagara College and our partners.

If you would like to attend the event, the College is pleased to offer a discounted staff ticket price of $250 (regular price $300). To purchase discounted tickets, please email Sabrina Pennacchio at [email protected]. 

Please note, discounted tax receipts to attend gala are NOT eligible for a tax receipt.

Many thanks – we hope to see you on April 6 for a truly memorable event.

Shannon Boeckner
Senior Director, Development & Donor Stewardship

 

Save the date: Employee Alumni Coffee Hour to be held Feb. 26 and Feb. 29

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Employee Alumni Coffee Hour

DJP Campus: February 26, 3 p.m. N002

Welland Campus: February 29, 3 p.m. S174

Excitement is percolating for NC alumni who also work at the College with two Employee Alumni Coffee Hour events planned for February 2024.

Hosted by Alumni Relations, Employee Alumni Coffee Hour is an opportunity for alumni employees to connect with their peers and alumni colleagues on campus while enjoying a warm beverage. Attendees will also have an opportunity to meet NC’s new Alumni Relations team. President Sean Kennedy is expected to attend both events and Vice President, Advancement Gord Arbeau is slated to attend on February 26.

“Employee Alumni have a special place in our College community – not only are they graduates but they’ve chosen to continue their ‘NC journeys’ through their careers,” said Arbeau, “We are proud of our thriving Employee Alumni community and their tremendous contributions to student success.

“We look forward to celebrating them and connecting with them through these events.”

“Last year’s debut of alumni coffee hour was a resounding success and we’re looking forward to continuing our new tradition in 2024,” said Jana Boniferro, Director, Development and Alumni Relations. “We encourage all employees who are also alumni to attend one of our events this month.”

Complimentary beverages (coffee, tea and juice) and treats will be available (while supplies last).

This is a free event that is open to all NC alumni who work at the College.

Employee Alumni Coffee Hour will be held at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake on February 26 at 3 p.m. (N002) and at the Welland Campus on February 29 at 3 p.m. (S174).

Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP by emailing [email protected] along with the date/campus they plan to attend.

Update your contact info

All internal alumni (whether or not they’re attending Internal Alumni Coffee Hour) are encouraged to update their contact information with Alumni Relations at here.

NC Students Thriving Thanks to NCRA Bursary

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Male and female holding large cheque by NC button at DJP campus.

For Deborah Bourdages, a fourth-year student pursuing an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration – Human Resources, studying at Niagara College was made possible with the generous help of the Niagara College Retirees’ Association (NCRA) Bursary.

“Receiving this bursary helped ease the burden of my financial obligations,” she said. “I work full-time and study full-time, so this support really helped me breathe a little easier.”

Rick Demers, Director-At-Large of the NCRA, believes in the power of subtle impact. “I’ve always felt very thankful that I was able to work [at Niagara College] to help students through what I was doing then, and now with the NCRA I can continue to do so through our bursary.”

Bourdages credits her time at NC for helping nurture her self-development and leadership skills as she prepares for a career in human resources. Looking ahead to graduating in the spring, she said, “I have my heart set on working locally, within the Niagara Region, because I live here and feel strongly about supporting my community.”

This type of transformative effect is what motivates the NCRA to donate. “The students are our lifeblood, and it’s such a privilege to see all the young faces doing well,” said Demers.

Recognizing the financial hurdles college students face, the NCRA began providing support in 1993. Since then, the group has contributed nearly $30,000 to empower students to excel in their studies and beyond.

“When you retire, there is such an itch to try to help and give back,” said Demers.

And give back they have. As avid, long-term supporters of NC students, the NCRA has directed funds from memberships, special events, and memorial gifts to support those in financial need. In addition to the annual bursary that supports two students, the group has also supported:

– NC Family Bursary
– SAFE Fund/Needy Student Fund
– Special Needs testing Equipment for students with visual impairments
– Wetlands Signs Project – Horticulture Bench
– Nourishing Minds Fund
– Giving Tuesday

“I am very grateful to the Niagara College Retirees’ Foundation for their continued support of me and my education,” said Bourdages. “Thank you for investing in students, these bursaries make such a difference to us.”

Annually, more than 800 Niagara College students, like Bourdages, receive financial support through donor-funded scholarships and bursaries. Strong community partnerships, like the one established with the NCRA, help invest in student futures and growth opportunities. To learn more about contributing to Niagara College student success, visit visit niagaracollege.ca/giving.

Habitat for Humanity’s Mark Carl is building a stronger Niagara

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If his alma mater hadn’t accommodated his learning disability and convinced him to not drop out of college, Mark Carl wouldn’t be a nominee for a 2023 Premier’s Award. Instead, he’d be one of the clients he helps.

“My professors knew I understood the coursework and had what it takes to complete the assignments,” Carl said. “But I didn’t, and it was a real struggle for me. It wasn’t until they encouraged me to talk to a Learning Resources counselor to arrange academic accommodations that I decided to stay and obtain my diploma.”

Carl, who’s been nominated for a Premier’s Award in the Community Services category, not only went on to graduate from NC’s Business Administration – Marketing program in 1997, he also received a post-graduate certificate in International Trade the same year.

Today, Carl is the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Niagara and leads a team of 300 staff and volunteers who annually fundraise $940,000 to ensure low-income families have safe, secure and affordable homes.

He also oversees three retail ReStores, where new and gently used home improvement items are sold to help contribute to operating costs.

He credits his college-obtained business and strategic planning skills for preparing him for his leadership roles, and for rescuing not one, but two of his employers from financial deficits and putting them into surpluses.

During his six years as Executive Director of the Hope Centre in Welland, Carl restored the emergency homeless shelter’s financial situation through partnerships and donations of $1 million, then heeded the community’s call to transition it into a full-fledged social service hub.

He grew the facility from 4,000 to 16,000 square feet to accommodate seven additional agencies, including a Soup Kitchen (that now serves 8,000 meals annually), Food Bank (that feeds 15,800 annually), Psychotherapy and Additions Counseling (for up to 70 clients, up from 20), Housing Stability programs, and many other support services.

He furthermore secured $3 million through corporate partnerships for an additional 20-unit social housing building, and his team is on track to build more affordable homes than ever: five by the end of 2023, and a total of 30 by 2028. Because of this, 150 individuals in 30 families will escape housing insecurity by qualifying for mortgages that charge only 30 per cent of their income.

This significant increase in construction is made possible through Carl’s prudent business and strategic planning that elevated Habitat Niagara out of a deficit and into a surplus. His team’s four-year fundraising goal is $10 million; $4 million has already been secured.

His time at Niagara College also inspired Carl’s political career. It was a way to tangibly give back to his community by finding collaborative and collective solutions to complex social problems.

Having witnessed firsthand how lived traumatic experiences–often from childhood–trap individuals into cycles of socioeconomic strain, Carl spent much of his 2010-2018 tenure as a Welland city councillor using his collective problem-solving approach to compel community partners, local charities, multi-tiered governments, regional colleges and universities, investors, donors and developers to help solve the multifaceted aspects of homelessness, such as mental illness and opioid addiction.

He served as a board member of the North Welland Business Improvement Area and co-chairperson of Safe Communities Welland, where he worked with residents to make the city the safest place to live, work and play. Carl also helped create the Town & Gown Committee to develop and enhance relationships, communications, and policies among the local college, its students, the City, police, and the community.

In 2018, Carl helped secure $8 million in federal funding for two Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board projects, which provide skills and job training to 150 Indigenous youth.

The empathy of his professors at Niagara College inspired him to persevere through the disadvantages of his disability and dedicate his career to philanthropic organizations, and it was NC’s wholistic approach to accommodating his unique learning needs that motivated Carl to get involved locally to help communally revamp social and affordable housing.

And Carl is giving back to Niagara College, too.

Over the last five years, he has been a strong supporter of the College’s Community Integration through Cooperative Education (CICE) program, which enhances employability for students with disabilities.

To date, 20 college-aged students with significant learning challenges have completed their field placements at Habitat ReStore locations throughout Niagara.

This story is part of a series featuring seven distinguished members of Niagara College’s alumni community, who have been nominated for Colleges Ontario’s prestigious 2023 Premier’s Awards.

John Zabakkides has harnessed the power of his NC education

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John Zambakkides’ 50-plus-year career is a mosaic of many firsts in the high-tech electronics industry, not the least of which was becoming the first Field Application Engineer in Canada for Fairchild Semiconductor before the age of 30.

The Power Engineering grad (Class of 1972) quickly progressed from Manager to District Manager and then to Manager for Canada, working on special designs and technology programs with Northern Telecom/Bell Northern Research, CDC, Admahl Computers, Mitel and more leading Canadian technology and communications companies.

It was nothing like the career as a pilot he had envisioned in his youth. His engineering mind and technical talents were fascinated by aerodynamics. But his family was worried about his safety and persuaded him to try the Electronics Engineering Technology program instead.
He never looked back.

Decades later, Zambakkides’ talents and contributions to the engineering technology industry have earned him recognition as a leader in energy management and conservation, and a nomination for a Premier’s Award for Technology. And it’s his Niagara College education that he credits for more than half a century of success.

“I really found my calling in college,” he said, recalling how nurtured he felt as his skills multiplied.
He said Niagara College gave him the knowledge and confidence boost he needed to head out into the workforce and land the very first job he ever applied for.

“Unquestionably, my program charted the course of my life,” he said. “I learned everything I needed to know to be successful, and then everything else was just icing on the cake.”

By the time he turned 31, Zambakkides was managing two companies–Fairchild and National Semiconductor–that were collectively generating $70 million in business. He was encouraged to move to Silicon Valley to work at Fairchild’s headquarters and maintain his career’s momentum. Instead, he chose to stay close to home and joined V3 Semiconductor in Scarborough, a 10-year-old basement operation without much progress.

With Zanbakkides’ fresh approach as President and CEO, V3 Semiconductor went on to become one of the industry’s leading companies, trading on the NASDAQ at $40 per share USD at its height.

When V3 got caught in a downturn during the 2000 dot.com bubble burst, Zambakkides sold the company to join Goal Semiconductor as Vice-President of Sales and Marketing, then propelled to Director of the Americas when Goal Semiconductor merged with Ramtron International. In just two years, he brought in the company’s largest customer

In 2012, sensing yet another change in market trends and needs, Zambakkides regrouped with some other tech veterans and started Z3 Controls Inc. with a mandate to conserve energy, save money and reduce the carbon footprint.

Today, Z3 Controls designs, manufactures, markets and sells energy monitoring tools that are affordable, easy-to-use and provide real-time information using nothing more than an Ethernet cable. The company has developed a diverse network of partners and clients spanning Canada’s Wonderland, GM, Colliers International, City of Toronto, City of Markham and York Region.

Z3 also fosters close relationships with the Ontario Power Authority, and utility companies, such as Toronto Hydro, Hydro One, PowerStream, Enersource, Horizon Utilities, Enbridge, and others throughout Ontario and Canada.

Zambakkides has used his innovations to better his community by partnering with York Region at the Forest Stewardship and Education Centre in Ballantrae, Ontario, to achieve both Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum and the more stringent Building Living Challenge certification. This was the eighth building on earth that undertook this endeavor. The outcome to this day is Net-Zero energy and water.

Zambakkides’ legacy further extends to today’s brightest college and university engineering graduates, 50 of whom have directly benefited from his mentorship and leadership.

This story is part of a series featuring seven distinguished members of Niagara College’s alumni community, who have been nominated for Colleges Ontario’s prestigious 2023 Premier’s Awards.

Support Nourishing Minds on Giving Tuesday

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Double your impact on Nov. 28 

The NC community has a chance to support students in need on Giving Tuesday.

Held on November 28, Giving Tuesday is the world’s largest generosity movement that encourages people to do good and celebrate giving.

At Niagara College, Giving Tuesday focuses on supporting students. Over the past three years, the NC community has collectively contributed more than $30,000 on Giving Tuesday to the Nourishing Minds fund.

This year, the first $10,000 donated to the Nourishing Minds fund on Giving Tuesday  will be matched by an anonymous community partner giving donors a chance to double their impact!

“Every student deserves to have a warm meal and basic essentials at the end of the day, and with support from our generous NC community, we can address food insecurity across our Niagara College campuses with confidence and resilience,” said Emily O’Connor, Development Officer.

On November 28, NC aims to raise more than $12,000 which will purchase 240 gift cards and help 240 students through Nourishing Minds. Since its inception, Nourishing Minds has issued over 8,200 grocery gift cards allowing students to purchase food, toiletries and other life essentials.  In addition to gift cards, NCSAC also hosts the Rise & Shine program on both campuses on Tuesday’s, Wednesday’s and Thursday’s, to provide breakfast items like yogurt, granola bars and juice to students on their way to class.

Donate

For info or to donate visit:

donate.niagaracollege.ca/givingtuesday/.