They’re first-year students on a mission to spread a little extra cheer this Christmas.
Taking up the challenge from their instructor, students from SFU Surrey’s new BusOne program put their business creativity to the test and participated in the Market on the Mezzanine craft fair on campus last week.
One group dressed as elves, sold cotton candy and posed for photos with Santa, helping to initially raise more than $600 for the United Way.
Their efforts landed them a $1,000 prize. Instead of splitting it between them, the students chose to add their winnings to the United Way donation.
“It does my heart good to see young people who can foster this kind of spirit,” says instructor Jennifer Beale, who is completing the first semester of the new program, which offers common courses and weekly workshops on extra-curricular involvement and eases university transition. “These students make me proud.”
Students Dylan Sall, Taylor Ward, Kevin Kumar, Shehbaaz Jhalli and Cynthia Su were among more than 40 first-year business students to take part in the event.
Meanwhile students in a fourth-year marketing class designed and produced gifts for sale as part of their course requirement. Together, the business students raised more than $2,100 for the United Way.
Events at SFU Surrey typically raise about $3,500 for the United Way. Overall, events at all three SFU campuses raise more than $20,000, while donations from the university community as a whole last year exceeded $160,000.