Rotaract clubs raise funds for UOIT students

More than 200 members of Rotary clubs from across southern Ontario attended a Scholarship Dinner at Tosca Banquet Hall in Oshawa, Ontario on October 4 in support of University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) students.

Bill Patchett, a Rotarian from Cobourg, a Past District Governor of Rotary International and UOIT donor, asked the clubs in Rotary International District 7070 to join in the fundraising event. Together with the Rotaract Club of UOIT-Durham College (DC), District 7070 clubs, which span Cobourg to Toronto, Ontario, contributed more than $68,000 in donations and pledges to UOIT. The evening, co-ordinated by UOIT-DC Rotaract Club President Haley McNamara and Past President Christine Dabrowski, included a social hour, formal dinner, silent auction and entertainment organized by UOIT students. UOIT was presented with a cheque for $68,046 on December 17.

“More than half of UOIT’s students struggle to pay tuition and expenses,” said Patchett. “All the money raised for these scholarships at this dinner will be presented to the students to assist in their education.”

The money will go toward UOIT’s Student Success Fund (SSF), which enables the university to provide new needs-based bursaries and merit-based academic scholarships, and offers funding for enterprising students’ academic activities for travel costs to present at conferences in Canada and abroad. Of the $68,000 raised, more than $58,000 is eligible to be matched under UOIT’s $1 million matching gift program.

"Our generous donors, like the members of the Rotaract Club of UOIT-DC and the Rotarians in Southern Ontario, share a passion for UOIT’s ongoing success,” said Nell Redley, Senior Development Officer, UOIT Advancement office. “This is an exciting new way our friends and supporters can continue to invest in the university's discovery and application of knowledge.”

The Rotaract Club of UOIT-DC is one of more than 8,000 Rotaract clubs with more than 184,000 members worldwide. Rotaract is a service club for men and women ages 18 to 30 who are dedicated to community and international service.