As fundraising and charitable work enters the spotlight for National Philanthropy Day (November 15), Niagara College recognizes the impact of its donors who support student success.

“We are tremendously grateful for the support of our many generous donors who help Niagara College students achieve their dreams,” said Vice President, Research and External Relations, Marc Nantel. “Our donors make a real difference in the lives of our students by funding scholarships, bursaries, instructional equipment, learning resources, and Be World Ready travel bursaries, all of which help our students reach their academic goals.”

During the past year alone (2021-2022), more than 800 awards (including scholarships and bursaries) have been distributed to NC students. Seven-hundred-and-thirty-eight NC students benefitted from $1-million (total) in financial assistance at the College during the last academic year – thanks to the generosity of 160 unique donors.

“For many students, financial challenge is the greatest barrier to college success,” said Development Officer Erica Walters. “On Philanthropy Day and every day, we are truly thankful to all of our donors.  Whether their gift was a few dollars or thousands of dollars, their gifts help transform lives.”

For full-time student and single mother Laila Karami, receiving the Dorothy Doyle Memorial Nursing scholarship is something she described as “no less than a miracle” when she completed her nursing education at Niagara College last year.

“Receiving this award motivates me to maintain my honor roll and complete my Practical Nursing diploma,” said Karami. “One day, I hope I will be able to pay it forward and do this for future students who grew up in a less privileged community and may not have a financial advantage.”

“This scholarship will have an impact beyond explanation and will definitely improve my quality of life,” said Isabelle Wartabedian, a student in the Business – Sales and Marketing program who received a CIBC International Student scholarship in March.

“I am proud to be the first person in my family to go to college and am working extremely hard,” said Koby Jeffery, 2021 recipient of the Gene Haas Scholarship for students in the College’s Mechanical Techniques (General Machinist) program. “I am doing this on my own, both physically and financially. Just being selected for this scholarship is an honour and financially has relieved a lot of stress.

“I am trying to complete my program without any debt and this will definitely help toward that goal.”

Giving back is second nature for NC social worker and counsellor Trina Washington. Washington, who has been working within the College’s Health, Wellness and Accessibility department for more than 20 years, feels passionate about helping to level the playing field for students with disabilities and she created two Washington Family bursaries at NC to help. View article in encore magazine here.

Thank you NC donors and supporters

A list of NC donors has been updated on the encore magazine site. View the list of donors here.

About National Philanthropy Day

Information from the Association of Fundraising Professionals:

National Philanthropy Day (NPD) is a special day set aside on the fifteenth of November to recognize the great contributions of philanthropy–and those people active in the philanthropic community–to the enrichment of our world.

Visit afpglobal.org.

Tickets now on sale

Alumni: mark your calendar for November 11 and 12; NC’s one-of -kind reunion is back for 2022!

ReuKnighted will kick off on November 11 with an exclusive tailgate party for NC alumni and former Knights athletes to begin at 4 p.m. at The Core. Then, action moves to the gym for an evening of Knights volleyball, with the women’s team (6 p.m.) and the men’s team (8 p.m.) playing  Sheridan College. NC alumni will also be welcome to stay for post-game festivities.

The games will continue on November 12 with Knights basketball. NC’s women’s (1 p.m.) and men’s (3.p.m.) basketball teams will compete against Fanshawe College.

Tickets

Adult tickets are $5 each and include VIP access to The Core, appetizers and refreshments, as well as admission to Friday volleyball and Saturday basketball games, and post-game fun.

Youth tickets, for ages 12 and younger, are free and will include the same perks as adult tickets as well as activities for ‘mini Knights.’

Capacity is limited. Tickets may be purchased online at www.eventbrite.ca/e/nc-reuknighted-2022-tickets-429860553487 or at the door, first come, first served.

The first 100 alumni to register will receive a ReuKnighted scarf, courtesy of Alumni Relations.

This will be the second ReuKnighted event to be held since it originally debuted in 2019.

Schedule

Friday, November 11, 2022

4 p.m. Kickoff Tailgate Party in The Core (indoor)

6 p.m. Women’s Volleyball (vs. Sheridan)

8 p.m. Men’s Volleyball (vs. Sheridan)

Saturday, November 12, 2022

1 p.m. Women’s Basketball (vs. Fanshawe)

3 p.m. Men’s Basketball (vs. Fanshawe)

In the spirit of fall harvest, Alumni Relations is hosting a contest for those who share their NC memories to Encore magazine!

Members of the alumni community who share their favourite NC memory to Encore magazine – whether it’s meeting lifelong friends, supportive mentors, or simply a funny anecdote from their time at NC – will have a chance to win a prize.

Prizes include a Howell’s Family Pumpkin Farm experience (tailored to the winner) and $25 to The Keg.

To enter:

1) Visit encore.niagaracollege.ca/category/nc-memory/… to share your favourite NC memory.

2) Tag a friend to ‘Have Fun @ Howell’s’ with on Facebook.

Submissions will be accepted until Monday, October 17 at 11:59 p.m., at which time a random draw will take place and announced shortly thereafter.

This contest is open to NC alumni only.

Those who share their NC memory will also see them appear in Encore magazine.

For full contest details, please view the post on NC Alumni’s Facebook page.

Canada’s largest wine festival is returning for its 70^th anniversary in 2022 and the NC Teaching Winery continues to be part of the action.

Raise a glass the College’s Teaching Winery at the park or with a festival Discovery Pass, and be sure to look out for NC staff and students during the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival’s Grande Parade and throughout the festivities.

Montebello Park

NC will be a participating winery during the six-day celebration at Montebello Park  (St. Catharines) from September 16-18 and 23-25. Guests can enjoy wine and culinary experiences – including more than 100 Niagara VQA wines – as well as more than 50 hours of live music.

Entrance to the park is free and a touchless, tokenless payment system will be used for food and beverage.

For more information visit .graapeandwinefestival.com/montebello-park.

Discovery Pass

The NC Teaching Winery is part of the festival’s popular Discovery Pass program, where guests visit participating wineries across Niagara’s best wineries to enjoy premium wine and culinary experiences.

The Teaching Winery’s experience features ‘Picnic Francais’ – a classic Burgundy-style Pinot Noir with rich aromas of sweet tobacco, berries, candied beet and black cherry paired with Parisian Jambon-Beurre. a smoked country ham on a sourdough baguette with Ontario gouda and porcini rosemary butter.

The featured wine is 2019 Dean’s List Pinot Noir and the featured chef is Tim Mackiddie, from Smoke and Barrel Niagara.

Discovery Passes may be purchased at  niagarawinefestival.com.

Grande Parade

Be sure to cheer on NC at the festival’s Grande Parade on Sept. 24. This year, the College float is a combined effort between NC’s Centre for Student Engagement, Student Administrative Council, and International division, and 165 students have registered to walk with the float.

Grape King

A NC Business alumnus now reigns as the 2022 Grape King for the festival.

On September 14, the Grape Growers of Ontario and Farm Credit Canada announced that Benjamin (Ben) Froese, of Willow Lake Ventures Inc  in Niagara-on-the-Lake, was chosen for the title. He was officially installed as the 65^th Grape King that same day.

Froese was born and raised on a tender fruit farm in Niagara-on-the-Lake which he took over at the age of 20 and converted into vineyards which he has doubled in size to more than 40 hectares.

He has been an Arterra grower for the past 20 years and grows several varieties of wine grapes. He is also a current member of the Grape Growers of Ontario’s Growers’ Committee and Metrics Committee.

 Read more in the GGO’s news release here.

Find out more

For more information about the Niagara Grape and Wine Festival, visit grapeandwinefestival.com.

The Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games have been the training ground for many Niagara College students and alumni to jumpstart their careers.

That was certainly the case for Event Management alumna Stephanie Felice (2020) and Sport Administration alumnus Red Nguyen (2021).

While the two didn’t work together directly, Felice and Red brought their respective NC training and experience to their roles supporting one of Canada’s largest multi-sport events.

Felice from Thorold and Red from Vietnam studied at NC for the better part of the COVID-19 pandemic, weathering lockdowns, restrictions, a pivot to online classes, and limited experiential learning opportunities.

As their respective industries came to a grinding halt, so too did many practicum and internship opportunities. Both Felice and Red joined the Canada Summer Games organizing team to apply their skills to the real-world and break into their respective fields.

Event Management alumna Steph Felice

Meet event planning pro Stephanie Felice

“I was in the Event Management program during a really altering time,” explains Felice. “When I started the program in September 2019 I had no idea what was to come. Little did I know that two weeks before our final project, we would have to cancel our event that we had been working on for six months. With that, the event industry would take a hard hit from COVID. It was the biggest learning curve I have ever experienced.”

Felice, who returned home to Niagara after completing her undergraduate degree in Toronto, got involved with the Canada Games as part of her NC program.

“I wanted to get into large production events. Jenn Dey, who was the Internship Coordinator at the time, encouraged me to apply for the Event & Community Relations internship position with Canada Games. I wouldn’t be where I am today without her guidance.”

“During my internship with the Games, I was planning milestone events and learned very quickly that I found my passion. What I really enjoyed about my internship is that I was applying the practical skills I learned in my classes into real life scenarios with the Games,” said Felice.

Despite pandemic setbacks, Felice looks back fondly on her time at NC. “I would describe my NC experience as hands-on, creative and student centered.”

Felice had the unique experience of being taught by NC’s Shelley Merlo – professor in the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Sport – but also working alongside her at the Canada Games where Merlo has been seconded as Special Events Liaison.

“One thing I took from her [Shelley] being my teacher (and colleague) is the passion and drive she has for event planning. She puts 110% in everything she does,” said Felice.

After investing more than two years into Games preparation, Felice landed a position in Toronto’s event management scene. She is now an event coordinator with theScore, a mobile sports media, sports betting and esports company.

“My time at the Canada Games was a huge stepping-stone in my event planning career. I was able to get a variety of experience from community events, grand openings, partnership announcements, and planning large scale events like the Opening and Closing Ceremonies.”

While Felice is busy taking her career to new levels, she is back in Niagara as a volunteer with the Games and looks forward to seeing the project through. She was proud to work behind-the-scenes at Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the 13 for 13 festivals around the region, and Pride Day at Niagara Place.

“I can tell you firsthand that everyone involved with the games have been working night and day to make it the best yet. I’m so excited to see everyone’s hard work come to fruition.”

Sport Administration alumnus Red Nguyen is the Event Services Lead for Cycling at the N22 Canada Games. He is pictured with CSG volunteers Cathy Plesz, George Clavecillas and Bob Plesz.

Meet Event Services Lead for Cycling, Red Nguyen

Sport Administration alumnus Red Nguyen was first introduced to the Canada Games by NC professor and CSG’s Special Events Liaison Shelley Merlo. Merlo tasked Red and his class with developing a sponsorship package for the Games, an exercise with real-world application.

“There were a lot of valuable insights that interested as well as prepared me for my volunteer position,” said Red, referring to his role as Event Services Lead for Cycling with the Canada Games. “Despite the pandemic, being part of the Games during and after my program is a great opportunity and really highlights the applied learning motto of the College.”

Originally from Vietnam, Red resides in St. Catharines. In addition to his role with the N22 Games, he works part-time at the Meridian Centre. He began his role with the Games in August 2021, meeting with his team (at first virtually) twice per month to practice scenarios they might encounter. In July, Nguyen spent time training volunteers.

Red Nguyen and fellow Canada Games volunteers Colleen Baty and George Clavecillas.

“This is my first opportunity to work on an event of this magnitude and lead a team of volunteers,” said Red. “As Event Services Volunteers, we will do our best to enable everyone, from athletes to spectators, to have a great experience with the Games and experience the hospitality that is of the Niagara region. I am looking forward to a job well done by my team and embracing any potential challenges.”

Red’s events kicked off in week one of the Games. “Cycling has been awesome. We got some rain on Monday throughout the women’s race but everyone pushed through and the energy is top notch.”

Red brings his ambition and a positive attitude to his work to help make the Canada Games a success. Following the Games, he aspires to work on the events side of the sports industry, the energy of which he describes as “infectious.”

“I am happy knowing that I can turn to our faculty staff, especially the professors like Stephen Carroll, for career advice as well as referrals if you’ve proved your ability.”

“No matter what I do, I am always surrounded by wonderful people, and for that, I am very grateful.”