MRU celebrates Giving Day: How scholarships and awards are helping students
Emma Duke, Staff Writer
“When you give, great things happen.” This is the tagline of Mount Royal University’s (MRU) Giving Day, a 24-hour campaign that celebrates philanthropy on MRU campus and highlights the impact that donors have on the MRU community. Mount Royal’s Giving Day is taking place on Nov. 29 this year.
You can participate in MRU Giving Day by making a financial donation on the MRU website. You must donate a minimum of $10. Mount Royal is matching donations up to $500.
When you donate, you get the opportunity to take part in Mount Royal’s Giving Day challenges. Prizes include MRU gift baskets, pet baskets, and money. For one challenge, the 50th person who donates will win an MRU gift basket, for example.
Additionally, you can buy a ticket for the 50/50 raffle. One lucky donor will win half the money in the raffle and the other half of the money will go directly to supporting MRU students.
This is the second annual Giving Day that Mount Royal has hosted. Last year MRU raised $50,000 in matching funds.
Tim Rahilly, the MRU president, says that the school raised over $100,000 in 2021.
“Last year, 671 donors raised $262,646.86, of which $107,000 went towards student awards. Those are funds that provide immediate relief to students,” said Rahilly.
According to their website, MRU provides more than $3 million to their students in scholarships and bursaries.
Gustavo Fornez, an MRU student who received one of these scholarships, speaks about how receiving a scholarship from the university helped him in his academic journey.
“As somebody who pays their own tuition, this scholarship means a lot to me. It really is a symbol of my academic success and the reward I get for my academic success,” Fornez said.
Another scholarship recipient, Ben Kawchuk, says the money he received from the school has helped him in several ways, not just financially.
“I could now also use the scholarship to my financial benefit and that helped with paying for my education and other things as well. It helped my mental well-being as I knew that the stress had paid off by putting my focus into my academics,” Kawchuk said.
To donate or have your questions answered about Mount Royal Giving Day, you can visit the MRU Giving Day website.
