Unlocking opportunity and creating community

What makes the Dalhousie Fund—Dal’s annual giving campaign—so powerful is the spirit of collective giving. Anyone can have an impact, regardless of how much or how little they can give. With every dollar, there is the potential to make a real difference in someone’s life. More than 5,000 Dalhousie Fund donors do this year after year, creating community and connection across generations of Dal students, alumni and friends.

This generosity converts directly to support for students, from sending them to academic competitions or conferences to stocking shelves at campus food banks, and even extending financial lifelines at critical junctures.

Have wheels, will travel to remote or underserved communities

For Cameron Nolter, a second-year respiratory therapy student in the Faculty of Health, donor contributions translated to mobility and peace of mind during a clinical placement.

Clinical placements are compulsory for many students in health disciplines. While they are pivotal learning experiences, placements in remote or rural areas can come with financial burdens, including housing and transportation.

Nolter found himself particularly unlucky, with car trouble putting a wrench in his plans just as he was set to begin his practicum. His only option was to share his parents’ vehicle, going back and forth between New Glasgow and Enfield on weekends, unable to funnel money he didn’t have into repairs.

That was until he received a Clinical Placement Bursary. “Knowing I didn’t have to worry about $500 gave me such a huge sense of relief,” he says. The money helped him manage a litany of unanticipated expenses: gas, accommodation, groceries and insurance on his parents’ car. “It really made a big impact for me.”

The School of Health Sciences awarded 10 Clinical Placement Bursaries from its donor-supported discretionary fund last year and hopes to continue supporting students in this way. This assistance helps make it possible for students to complete their placements in remote or underserved areas, advancing the Faculty of Health's commitment to promoting equity in health care.

With his transportation issues behind him, Nolter found there was a lot to gain from completing his placement in a more intimate setting.

“I really enjoyed being at a smaller rural site because it was very personalized,” he says. “New Glasgow only gets one student a year, so I got a lot of opportunities to develop my skills.”

MBA underdogs take care of business at the national level

Beyond financial support, the Dalhousie Fund also empowers students to make the most of their education by making it possible for them to access vital real-world learning opportunities. This winter, a team of students from the Faculty of Management competed in the MBA Games, which brings together MBA students from universities across Canada to compete in various academic, athletic, and spirit events.

“It's not just about showcasing our skills; it's also about building networks and fostering camaraderie among future business leaders,” says Patrice Cammarano, a second-year Corporate Residency MBA student who was heavily involved in preparing the team. Participation required travel to and from Brock University in St. Catharine’s, ON, and was enabled by support from annual donors.

The competition allowed the students an occasion to hone their skills and create meaningful connections with peers and mentors across the country, Cammarano says. “[These opportunities] also promote teamwork, leadership, and resilience—all essential qualities for success in the business world.”

“Case competitions like this are like real life in the skills they teach,” adds Blake Morton (BA’21). As the Dalhousie MBA Society’s Director of Case Competitions, he would know. Between his and Cammarano’s leadership, Dalhousie ultimately placed second overall in debate and basketball, and third in the social media challenge and mystery events.

“Despite coming in as the underdog, we showed we can compete with anyone,” Cammarano says of the team’s success.

The Dalhousie Fund donors’ role in the team’s triumph is not lost on Cammarano or Morton. Without the financial support, the students may not have been able to attend and compete. “You have no idea what kind of a positive impact these opportunities have on our students,” says Morton.

Cammarano agrees. “Your investment in our education extends far beyond the classroom, providing us with opportunities to grow, learn, and excel on a national stage,” he says. “Your belief in [our potential] is truly inspiring, and we are committed to making the most of these opportunities to positively impact our communities and beyond.”

The bread and butter of student food security

Students have historically been vulnerable to food security issues. With the demands of full-time study, money and time are often scarce commodities. Add to that soaring inflation rates and an increasingly unforgiving cost of living and it is evident why campus food security programs are feeling the pressure.

Fifth-year plant sciences student Alexe Indigo is a volunteer who oversees the Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Food Pantry’s operations. She says that in the fall, she saw more students than ever using the pantry’s services, which had to be stretched even further than before. And it was getting harder to stock staples such as milk, eggs, and produce.

“We also did not have enough resources to supply everyone in need with our target goal of a two-to-three-day supply of food items,” she says. “We would simply run out of food on days we were open, and some students did not receive anything, or received very little.”

This was before receiving support from the Dalhousie community through the Food Security Project on Giving Tuesday. Each November, the initiative aims to provide on-campus food security programs such as the Pantry and the Dalhousie Student Union Food Bank with enough funding to ensure their operations throughout the year.

Over the last four years, alumni, friends, faculty, and staff have stepped up to improve student food security, and the 2023 campaign was no exception, even boosting support for a concurrent food drive on campus in Truro.

Indigo says the funding could not have come at a better time. “We would not have been able to operate this semester without the support we received,” she says. “With the increased support, we have been able to assist everyone who comes through our doors equally, ensuring that all students have access to the same assistance.”

This means students leave with multiple days’ worth of nutritious food and can access those important staples when they need to.

Food insecurity on campus is unfortunately not just an annual event, but the yearly campaign has generated real awareness and tangible resources, and Indigo says she hopes donors will stay engaged.

“Continued generosity and contributions from the Dalhousie community are making a tangible difference in students' lives, and each donation we receive is felt and appreciated.”