Education students fundraise for Telegraph Creek
For my first post, I am going to dive into a topic that is personal. In August 2018, three forest fires merged on Tahltan Territory — my home. These fires turned into the largest fire in British Columbia (over 118,000 hectares). 56 structures (~45% of the village’s structures) were sadly lost in Telegraph Creek. Most importantly, over 300 people were displaced to the surrounding areas of Dease Lake, Terrace, Smithers, and Prince George.
Evacuee children are now having to attend new schools in surrounding areas, as families are currently not allowed to return to Telegraph Creek due to the impending clean up. I went home to help in the community, but soon had to come back to UVic, put on a brave face, and complete my last year of the Elementary Education Program. How was I doing, really? Not good at all — I needed to help in some way.
One of my favourite professors knew of this tragedy. In her Teaching in Rural Communities course, she offered fundraising for my community as a volunteer opportunity! Fortunately, the entire class was on board!
The dean of the Faculty of Education, Ralf St. Clair, offered opportunities for student leadership and co-curricular credit in order to see this project through. So, a huge thanks to getting the ball rolling goes to my professor and the dean. The biggest thanks of all, though, goes to my classmates. The people who have supported me by offering their skills and time.
The faculty of Education has also placed all of our fundraising events in their “ What’s Up in Education” newsletter. Our first fundraising event was a bottle drive — we raised just over $600.00 in one afternoon! There are two more events coming up.
Pumpkin Carving – October 27
First, on October 27th from 12:30 PM- 2:30 PM there is a pumpkin carving event at the Archie Browning Sports Center; Crow’s Nest.
Spooky Science – October 29
Next, we are hosting a Spooky Science event in partnership with Science Venture from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM on October 29th located in the Science Venture Maker Space (UVic, Maclaurin D017). Families will be able to bring their children to experience hands-on science experiments with a Halloween twist and, of course, donate to a good cause.
Spooky science fundraiser poster
I am grateful to UVic, my professor, the Faculty of Education, Science Venture, and my classmates for such an incredible act of service. Their support has been a relief for my mental health and has reminded me that the community here at UVic is unbeatable.
