Telegraph Creek Fundraiser wrap-up!

My last post, Education students fundraise for Telegraph Creek, highlighted the incredible fundraising events that my cohort and Faculty hosted for my community. As mentioned in the previous post, Telegraph Creek was affected by the largest forest fire in British Columbia, displacing many families – my great grandmother included.

First of all, I want to hold my hands up and say Mēduh Chō everyone for your hard work and financial support. Our education cohort has raised $1900.00 in total. The funds will be going towards the Tahltan school and will be used to help the students settle into their new homes and school term.

Quote from Teaching in Rural Communities Professor

“I’m incredibly proud of the 33 teacher candidates in my course, EDCI 487 Teaching in Rural Communities. At a drop of the hat, they committed themselves to this project. They saw an adverse situation and reached out to help in a way that was useful to those who were affected by the fires. The fundraising efforts they undertook are indicative of their caring, work ethic, and problem solving skills. These teacher candidates will enhance the teaching profession and their future students are in good hands.”

I am grateful for the support of my peers and faculty, so the rest of this post will be dedicated to holding up their hard work and leadership!

Our cohort!

Bottle Drive – October 13, 2018

Leadership: Gavin Hastings & Shayna Plotnikoff

Quote from Shayna:

“Being born and raised in a small town, I always wondered if I would feel that sense of community in the “big city”. This city, this school, and most importantly, this program, and the wonderful peers I get to learn and grow with every day, have made that happen. I am so happy we had the opportunity to make a difference for the community members of Telegraph Creek.”

Pumpkin Carving – October 27, 2018 

Leadership: Tinisha Leung & Melanie Narciso

Quote from Tinisha:

“Fundraising for the Dease Lake and Telegraph communities was one of the hardest and best experiences for us as a team. We did not realize how much work had to go into it, but one thing that we knew that we wanted to do was to fundraise in a way to bring our communities and families together. So in a way, although our goal was to help another community get back home, we also ended up bringing our own community together in the process. By meeting all the wonderful people who came out to help out, we truly felt the power of connection and it was not something that we had expected. We were able to laugh, hug, share stories, and be silly together, so thank you for allowing us to experience this.”

Spooky Science – October 29, 2018 

Leadership: Hayle Gallup & Science Venture 

Quote from Teammate Jessica Manness:

“I am so fortunate to be in a program that is filled with so many caring individuals. Over the past three months I got to watch my class work together to put on various fundraisers to help raise money and awareness for the people affected by the forest fires in Telegraph Creek. I got the chance to work alongside Hayle and some other lovely humans to put on the Science Venture: Spooky Science event. After all the hard work decorating, baking, and setting up stations it was so rewarding to see the kids enjoy each and every second of it. I am very lucky to have been a part of this and to have been given the chance to give back to Hayle’s community.” 

Leadership Roles

The Faculty of Education created 7 leadership roles. These people did a lot of the behind the scenes work which involved communicating to administration at UVic, writing detailed event proposals, marketing, and photography.

Leadership team: Shelby Conner, Bethany Douglas, Justine Gage, Hayle Gallup, Amanda Nielson, Shayna Plotnikoff.

To conclude . . .

This was a true hands on learning experience that fit our course description exceptionally well. Sometimes we get too caught up in the stress of our coursework and practicums that really connecting to community takes a back seat. I think that every professional program should include service learning opportunities, as it fosters a sense of community and deeper relationship building amongst the individuals involved.

It is exceptional moments like these that make the University of Victoria stand out. Future education students, this is the place for you!