Keyano College Foundation, fundraiser

The Keyano College Foundation recently held a fundraiser gala, with the hopes of raising $500,000 for students and a few programs that benefit the kids. The fundraiser was held at the Syncrude Sport and Wellness Centre, and it had more than 1,200 guests even though it was a black tie affair. There were raffles, a concert performance by Corey Hart, and a live auction for guests to enjoy. The proceeds for the event went to the Keyano College Foundation, which helps to fund community facilities and student awards for financial assistance. According to the board of director’s chairperson for the Keyano College Foundation, Paul Taylor, “The funds raised through Gala and through our partners will go to support our students, our programming, athletics, the theatre, and capital improvements. Collaboration is vital to Keyano’s ongoing efforts to ensure that Canada’s fastest growing region here in Wood Buffalo has sufficient and affordable access to post-secondary education..”

This is not the first year that the Keyano College Foundation has held the gala fundraiser. Keyano College external affairs vice president Theresa Greenwood, remarked “We call the work we do at the foundation fundraising, but we also call it friend-raising. We include friend raising because we know that while the financial part is important, it’s also just as important to have our supporters involved in other ways. Greenwood continued by saying ”“There are certain things that you can fund through government funding and certain things that you can’t. The theatre, for example, we don’t use any of our provincial funding to go towards the theatre, it’s all community based, so it’s based on ticket sales and fundraising.” Paul Taylor also discussed the athletic programs funded by the Keyano College Foundation “Instead of them having to go south, if we can offer … close to elite athletes the opportunities to remain in the region and play for the Huskies, so much the better. It helps them, they’re closer to their families, and obviously it allows Keyano to field a very competitive team.”