Giving Tuesday initiative rallies the Lakehead University community to unprecedented heights
December 1, 2023 – Thunder Bay and Orillia, Ont.
A whopping $367,900 was donated to Lakehead University on Giving Tuesday on November 28 – the eighth time Lakehead participated in the annual day of giving.
Lakehead’s goal was to raise $147,000, which is why Mark Tilbury, Lakehead’s Director of Alumni and Annual Giving, is very excited after raising more than double that amount.
“When we look at last year, the Lakehead community gave an additional 40 per cent,” Tilbury said.
This set a new high-water mark for the amount of single-day donations that Lakehead University has ever received.
“It demonstrates the collective impact that is achievable when individuals and organizations unite,” Tilbury said.
“I’m thrilled that alumni and friends all over the world actively contributed to advancing student financial aid at Lakehead University by paying it forward. A huge thank you to everyone who supported Lakehead students.”
Donors created 10 new student awards and supplemented an additional 40 existing awards with donations received from across the country and throughout the world.
“This generosity demonstrates that Lakehead University alumni and friends understand and value accessible, high-quality education,” said Michael den Haan, Vice-President of External Relations at Lakehead University.
“Despite the challenges faced by many, this global day-of-kindness offered alumni and friends a chance to forge stronger connections with Lakehead University by collectively focusing on this important initiative in support of students,” den Haan added.
A record-breaking number of alumni and friends gave from both Canada and elsewhere, including the United States, Finland, and Mexico.
Since Lakehead began participating in Giving Tuesday in 2016, the fundraiser has soared to increasing heights, raising more than $1.17 million in support of student financial aid at Lakehead University.
“The 2023 campaign stands as a testament to the unwavering commitment and global impact of the Lakehead community,” den Haan said.
-30-
Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at (807) 343-8110 ext. 8372 or mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has nine faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. Lakehead University’s achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, including being ranked in the top half of Times Higher Education's 2023 World Universities Rankings for the fourth consecutive year, and the number one university in the world with fewer than 9,000 students in THE’s 2023 Impact Rankings (which assesses institutions against the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals). Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
