Thank you again to everyone who has contributed a generous donation to the COVID-19 Emergency Student Support Fund. Together we have raised more than $350,000 to help students who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

The following messages of gratitude have been submitted by recipients of the fund:

I want to take the time to express a massive thank you for the generosity you’ve shown me during this tough time. The bursary that I recieved thanks to you is directly helping to ease some of the financial burden that the pandemic is causing in my life right now, and for that I am truly grateful. Again, thank you so much.

Austin, Medical Laboratory Sciences

Today I am very glad to receive this bursary which is motivating me to do better in my future endeavours. Moreover, now I will try to achieve best merits in my upcoming courses, so that I do a proper use of this bursary.

Furthermore, these kinds of bursary is very much encouraging to all of the students of the Red River College who are in need at this current pandemic. Alongside to that, this overall initiative by the Red River College is very much supportive to all the students like us.

Nonetheless, I would like to show my gratitude towards you who has given me this wonderful bursary and would like to let you know that you have also helped me to put on more step forward to my future goal of being successful.

Mohammed Mahir, Business Technology Management

Thank you for the Bursary. It has meant so much to me and my family. It has taken some stress off of our backs to put food on the table and pay bills. I pray you are blessed in return. I truly believe what goes around comes around.

Dana, Woodworking and Cabinetry Technology

I would like to thank RRC for the help that was given to me during this challenging time that the world is going through. I am deeply grateful for this support that is being very useful. I am very proud to study at an institution that thinks about the welfare of its students.

Greisi Keli, Business Administration

I wanted to send my sincerest thanks to you for this gift. I am a father of a 2 year old girl who I sobered up 4 days before she was born after a long battle with meth addiction. I went back to school, got five A+ and one A this term but the virus has left a lot of opportunity postponed. This money will help her and I stay safe, healthy, and happy until normal resumes, and I can give back the kindness I’ve received.

Jameson, Occupational Health and Safety

Thank you so much. Me and my kids appreciate this money now more than ever. Having some financial stability during these uncertain times really takes a huge weight off my shoulders. Thank you.

Faith, Culinary Arts

As of today there are still students who need financial support as they enter the Fall 2020 term at Red River College. Donate today to make a difference.

Red River College’s Innovation Centre has reached new heights as the 100,000 square-foot building’s roofline has been installed.

Akman Construction has completed the superstructure of the four-storey space, which is set to open in 2021 and will be a hub for business, technology and creative arts programs.

Two of the building’s many distinctive features include photovoltaic panels created in Denmark, which will line the building’s front façade, and a 1,000 square-foot painting created by Anishinabee artist Jackie Traverse, which will be installed over the next year. (See cover image.)

The soon-to-be-constructed overhead walkway linking the old and new, along with a proposed public plaza, will consolidate the downtown campus and help establish Red River College as a major force in the rejuvenation of the historic Exchange District.

Photos courtesay of Gerry Kopelow

When John Bockstael made the decision to donate to Red River College’s Skilled Trades and Technology Centre, he knew he would be providing an opportunity for generations of Manitobans to receive high-quality education and training.

“It’s not basement learning,” says Bockstael, the President and CEO of Bockstael Construction Ltd. “The College’s programs are hands-on right from the beginning and highly practical. There’s a direct correlation between the classroom process and what’s done on a work site.”

Bockstael was the first donor to the 104,000 square-foot facility, which opened its doors to students in Fall 2018. The building acts as a celebration of the trades and technologies, and allows the College to train an additional 1,000 students every year.

“The skilled trades need talent. It takes knowledgeable people — you have to have a good head on your shoulders,” he says. “Anybody who gets into construction now is getting into it at a time where we’re becoming more and more advanced in our technologies and processes. You still have to pound a nail and drill a hole as part of the job — but what we need is highly skilled, quick thinking people.”

Bockstael Construction has been in operation since 1912, and has built and renovated many prominent buildings in Manitoba, including the VIA Rail Winnipeg Union Station, the Canada Games Sport for Life Centre, and the newest, the Richardson Innovation Centre. In 2009, Bockstael completed construction on RRC’s Jan den Oudsten Vehicle Technology and Research Centre (formerly the Heavy Equipment and Transportation Centre), one of the first education centres in Manitoba to receive LEED® Silver certification from the Canada Green Building Council.

It’s rewarding for Bockstael to be able to give back, knowing that his future employees will be trained in the STTC. He says that in an ever-changing industry, RRC has been very responsive in advancing the needs of businesses, and has adapted its programs to be able to train new skilled workers, while providing re-skilling for workers who are in the middle of their careers.

“At the time we committed to our pledge, we were experiencing a real shortage of skilled trades workers,” he says. “In a way I was fulfilling a business need. Your business thrives and is driven by the workforce that you hire.”

Bockstael says that although construction has adapted to include more technology, the satisfaction of a job well done remains at the core for skilled workers. “There’s so much independence that individual tradespeople can derive for themselves. People can look back when a project is done and say ‘I was a part of that’ — there’s a lot of pride in their work,” he says. “That’s something tangible at the end of the day that seems to resonate with everyone from engineers to labourers.”

The Bockstael Construction Labs are located at the east end of the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre, and are used by hundreds of students every day.

We are grateful to John Bockstael and Bockstael Construction Ltd. for their contribution to the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we had to postpone the celebration honouring Bockstael Construction Ltd. — and all donors to the STTC — originally planned for April 15, 2020. We will reschedule this event when it is safe to celebrate together.

Red River College Creative Communications Graduate, Rachel Young.

The first recipient of a new award for journalism students at Red River College credits her industry training with providing an entirely new outlook on life.

“My experience in this program has helped me to find my voice and my talents,” says soon-to-be RRC grad Rachel Young, who this spring received the first-ever Dawna Friesen Global News Award for Journalism.

“Prior to Creative Communications, I was lost.”

The new award — named for Friesen, a fellow CreComm grad (1984) now serving as Global’s national news anchor — was established as part of the organization’s commitment to local news and community involvement, and as a means of encouraging the next generation of reporters.

The recognition caps off a whirlwind period of transition and growth for Young, who only three years ago was unhappily working a full-time job in retail. She’d graduated from university, but found herself unmotivated to do anything with her degree, and in her own words, settling for a career that wouldn’t challenge or inspire her.

Then she learned about Creative Communications at RRC. Though she initially assumed entry was unattainable, she enrolled on a whim, and was accepted.

“My outlook on life changed,” she explains. “I was ready to fully dedicate the next two years of my life to achieving this goal.

“I wanted to use this opportunity to change my future. I gave up the steady paycheck and, with the support of my partner and family, I chose to invest in my future.”

At 26, Young is a few years older than some of her classmates. Her fears about returning to school after years away had given her a drive to succeed, but in a somewhat ironic turn, she found her first forays into the world of news gathering a bit daunting.

“Journalism was the class I feared the most,” says Young. “After one of my first assignments, my instructor Joanne Kelly told me that it was more about the progress I made, rather than the mark on the paper. This advice carried me through to where I am today.”

Buoyed by Kelly’s mentorship, Young honed her storytelling skills even further in her second year, working harder and asking more questions as a Media Production major.

“My skills improved and I gained confidence after every assignment,” she says. “Today I look forward to a career in broadcast journalism. I want to meet people, share their stories and be inspired by the world around me.”

Recipient of the Dawna Friesen Global News Award for Journalism.

Young was one of a number of second-year CreComm students to apply for the new award, which includes a $3,000 scholarship. A shortlist of three applicants was presented to Global reps for consideration, and while their decision wasn’t easy, they say Young’s eagerness to adapt put her ahead of the pack.

“Over the course of the interviews and based on the written essay, Rachel showed not only a willingness to adapt, but also to learn and grow,” says Michael Goldberg, executive producer at Global Winnipeg. “Adaptability is one of the most important lessons someone can learn as preparation for this industry. How we work now is not how we worked five years ago, and will not be how we work in five years’ time.”

Citing Global’s role as an industry leader — both in working with new technology, and evolving in step with the changing media landscape — Goldberg says reporters must be willing to fight to have their stories heard, noting journalism can change governments, help drive policy and improve lives, providing its practitioners remain committed.

It’s a standard set proudly by Friesen herself, who over the decades has gone from smaller rural outlets to a gig in the U.K., later landing at her current position, which finds her delivering the news to hundreds of thousands of Canadian households each evening.

“It’s Red River College that launched me on the road to where I am today,” Friesen said in 2011, two years after being named one of RRC’s Distinguished Alumni. “The same basic principles I learned at school … are the same basic story-telling skills I use today: getting the facts right, double-sourcing, diligence [and] patience.”

Friesen began her broadcasting career at stations in Brandon, Saskatoon and Winnipeg, later covering national news and federal elections for CBC and CTV. In 1999, she took a position as a London-based correspondent with NBC, covering some of the ensuing decade’s top stories, including the fall of Iran and the struggle to bring peace to Afghanistan.

Her part in team coverage of Barack Obama’s historic presidential victory earned her an Emmy award in 2009.

“Dawna’s career has taken her around the world, and now has her anchoring Global’s national news broadcast,” says Goldberg. “She is a fantastic role model that we hope many will look at and try to emulate.”

Red River College (RRC) students in Manitoba’s Southeast region that have been financially impacted by COVID-19 can apply for relief, thanks to a $50,000 donation from the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation.

The 50 bursaries, valued at $1,000 each will be awarded to students who reside in Southeast Manitoba, who complete a general scholarship application form and include a one-page statement outlining financial hardships they’ve faced due to COVID-19.

“This contribution from the Loewen Foundation will have a tremendous impact on RRC students who live in Southeastern Manitoba. We know that students have been struggling, and receiving this bursary could make the difference in someone’s decision to continue with their studies in the next term,” said Dr. Christine Watson, Interim President and CEO at RRC. “Red River College is thankful for the donors, staff, alumni and community members that have stepped up over the last few months to ensure our impacted students receive the relief they need.”

Donor, John Loewen from the C.P. Loewen Family Foundation

John Loewen, executive director of the Loewen Foundation said the decision to donate was easy, and that he knows the support will have an immediate impact on the students’ lives, allowing them to focus on their goals in education and training.

“If you consider a foundation and endowment as a rainy day fund, well, it’s raining right now,” he said. “We were very impressed with how quickly the College moved to support its students, and looked to past donors who could redirect their support.”

Before creating its COVID-19 bursary, the Loewen Foundation has provided bursaries to 26 students at RRC in the last five years. Loewen said that in spite of how challenging these times are, he hopes that providing educational support will have a lasting positive impact on the recipients.

“The hope is that this provides an example for the students to carry with them through their lives – how to be selfless during a crisis,” he said. “There’s going to be other issues over our respective lives, where we will need to change how we do things and adapt – so let’s do it with humanity, integrity and respect for others.”

The Loewen Foundation believes that supporting educational organizations helps to create a knowledgeable, skilled community – which enriches the lives of everyone.

For more information about the award, please visit Awards, Bursaries and Scholarships.

To date, Red River College has raised more than $363,500 towards supporting students who have been financially impacted by COVID-19. While many donors have provided support for students in recent weeks, the College is unable to keep up with student demand for financial aid and is currently experiencing a backlog of applications.

Anyone wishing to donate to the COVID-19 Emergency Student Support Fund is encouraged to donate now or visit the COVID-19 Emergency Student Support Fund page to learn more.

Staff from Dillon Consulting’s Winnipeg office take part in a recent Earth Day community clean up.

For employees at Dillon Consulting Limited, a desire to enrich the student experience at Red River College (RRC) led to a recent donation to College’s general fund.

There are 12 RRC graduates who currently work at Dillon’s Winnipeg office, all of which have maintained a close connection to the College by participating in student information sessions, classroom presentations, projects with partner organizations and sitting on advisory committees.

“We have strong ties to the College, so donating seemed like a good way to give back to an educational facility that many of us attended,” said Tina Sontag, Associate at Dillon Consulting Limited.

Sontag graduated from the Civil Engineering Technology program in 2014, after a successful career in hairstyling, and was hired at Dillon shortly after.

“I like working with people and numbers – problem solving,” she said. “The education I got from RRC was a springboard into the consulting field. I’m very happy where I am.”

The donation was made possible through the Environment & Community Investment Fund, which is part of the organization’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative. Since 2005, Dillon has provided more than $300,000 in scholarships across Canada, including contributions to Indspire bursaries for indigenous learners.

Sontag said donations and volunteerism bring the staff at Dillon together and creates a positive work environment.

“Our staff are quite engaged in our communities, and we make our decisions on which organizations to support based on staff buy-in,” she said. “There is the desire to make an impact in our staff, and it’s important that we are able to match their enthusiasm and connect with our communities.”

Dillon staff have volunteered their time at Winnipeg Harvest, Bike Week Winnipeg, Wrench and organizations that help Winnipeg’s underserved communities.

Sontag said she is proud to be able to support students at RRC and looks forward to meeting the next generation of skilled workers.

Other pillars of Dillon’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiative include a commitment to its workplaces, the environment and the marketplace. Learn more by visiting https://www.dillon.ca/about/corporate-social-responsibility

Dear fellow alumni,

Red River College students need our help. I wanted to share why I chose to donate to the RRC COVID-19 Emergency Student Support Fund – and hope that my story will encourage you to do the same.

With the support of some very generous donors – including corporate partners, RRC alumni, staff and community members – the fund has quickly grown to over $300,000 and the College has been able to help more than 335 students who have been financially impacted by COVID-19.

But there are hundreds of students who still need our support – and that is why I’m asking for your help.

The pandemic has hit students particularly hard as the part-time jobs they rely on to cover rent and food costs are the type of jobs that were first to be reduced as a result of social distancing measures. While the economy is starting to re-open, it will be months before many of these jobs return.

As an RRC employee, I am in a unique position to see what our students are going through. Many of them live alone and don’t have family to turn to for support. Some are from out of town, or even out of country, and don’t have established support networks. Others are single parents trying to juggle course work, child care and job loss.

Every day students are making the choice between paying rent and putting food on the table for their family.

I donated to the fund as a proud RRC alumni member, a graduate of Creative Communications – and I would not be where I am today if it were not for my education at RRC. I am forever grateful for the skills I learned some 30 years ago. Without question, what I learned helped me establish myself throughout my career, first in journalism and later in strategic communications.

Financial stress places a heavy burden on students and without our help there are some who will fall through the cracks and not realize their potential.

As a lifelong Manitoban, I run into proud RRC alumni on a daily basis in virtually every industry. We are one of the most important engines that drives our economy. And we will be even more essential to the growth and prosperity of our community as we rebuild post COVID-19.

Manitoba needs RRC grads.

RRC helped launched my career and put me in a position to give back to a student in need. Please consider doing the same – no donation is too small as we work together to rise to the challenges of this unprecedented time.

Riva Harrison
CreComm 1988

Donate now at http://rrc.ca/donate

A message from Dr. Christine Watson,
Red River College’s Interim President and CEO

Dear donors, alumni and friends of Red River College,

I am reaching out today to share with you our efforts to continue operating while protecting the health and safety of our students, staff, faculty and broader community during this time of unprecedented challenge and uncertainty.

We are taking every step possible to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to safeguard the RRC community. This has meant a rapid shift to alternative program and service delivery for students, which has allowed the majority of faculty and staff to work from home while we close our campuses to classes and public events.

This is allowing us to continue to do what we do best – train the next generation of Manitoba’s workforce, which we will be extremely important for our province and our country as we rebuild our economy following this crisis.

I am so very proud of our efforts. This would be a significant undertaking in the best of times, never mind where we find ourselves today as a community.

Responding to this situation, which is often changing by the hour, has us drawing on the values we hold dear at the College. By tapping into our spirit of innovation, flexibility, teamwork and problem-solving, we’re forging a new path to ensure our students can continue with their studies and their careers.

As Manitoba’s largest educator of health care professionals, we are also supporting this sector in their battle against COVID-19 by:

• Providing 14 students from our Health Information Management program to help with vital record keeping and tracking the spread of COVID-19;
• Donating 1,700 N95 masks to help combat serious shortages of essential safety gear for front line staff;
• Offering to re-deploy our 3D printers, manufacturing equipment and labs to support the production of medical devices and supplies; and,
• Providing unused advertising space to help public health increase its messaging to the community.

I am so inspired by the hard work, dedication, and creativity of our workforce here at RRC. This is a very difficult and stressful time for everyone, and it is incredible to see so many people rise to address the situation before us. We are very fortunate to have such a vibrant College community and as a partner, you are an important part of who we are and how we continue to stay strong at this time.

Your support as donors, alumni and partners have helped us grow into the robust and agile training institution we are today, which has positioned us to meet this challenge head on and continue to help our students become leaders in their chosen fields. Thank you for your support of our students, the College and each other during this difficult time.

We recognize the profound impact that this uncertain time is having on your own family, your work and your business. It is why we will continue to work diligently to support our students in continuing their studies and doing what we canto help the community ‘flatten the curve.’ We want to work together to support you the way you have always supported us.

Please stay safe and feel free to visit rrc.ca/coronavirus for the latest information on how the College is responding to this extraordinary situation.

Christine

It’s a donation 35 years in the making.

Red River College grads Ron Margolis and Tony Balaz have gifted nearly $1,000 to RRC’s annual Directions Conference with money from a group project they helped complete in their graduating year – 1984.

[Editor’s Note: 1984 was the year the World Wide Web and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg were born, Steve Jobs launched a boxy little number called the Macintosh PC, and Bill Gates shared the cover of Time magazine with a floppy disk. Historical records indicate that 1984 was also the epoch of the cassette tape, pager, answering machine, and peak Murder, She Wrote.]

At that time, Margolis (shown, above) and Balaz (below) were studying Business Administration and working on a huge final project with a team of over a dozen other students. The group raised funds to pay for the layout and printing costs needed to produce their group’s business plan, only to find out, just before the plan was due, that the printing company couldn’t produce the accounting tables and wouldn’t be able to complete the job.

“Cut to a dozen of us hammering away on typewriters around the clock, trying to get this thing into some kind of presentable form when we should have been prepping our oral presentation instead,” Margolis recalls.

[Editor’s Note: 1984 was also before word processing and layout software were basic human rights.]

“The final result wasn’t pretty, but we ended up with something we could hand in.”

The money to cover the printing costs sat in the account in case it was still needed, and was then forgotten – until Margolis discovered the bank statement book in a pile of papers just over a year ago.

The discovery prompted Margolis, now president of Margolis Capital Group Inc., a commercial mortgage firm, to reach out to Balaz, another member of the group still living in Winnipeg. (Balaz is vice-president of Kensington Homes.)

“It made sense to both of us to donate it back to the College on behalf of our group, Seminar 13.”

They earmarked their donation for this year’s Directions Conference, which connects RRC Business and Applied Arts students with industry and business leaders through a series of speakers, information sessions, and a roundtable networking event. Obby Khan, local restaurateur and former Blue Bomber, will share his story of family, football and entrepreneurship at the conference’s keynote address on Thu., Feb. 6, inspiring the next generation of professionals and leaders.

“We love how this donation gives a group of our grads the opportunity to bring their Red River College experience full circle,” says RRC Alumni Engagement Officer Katrina Sklepowich. “We couldn’t be more grateful to this awesome group of people for boosting the impact of potentially career-shaping networking events like Directions for our students.”

Thinking of making a gift to Red River College? Donate now!

Greeted by Red River College Polytechnic’s WUSC Local Committee,(Left: Norman Umali, Wasim Alkabani and Tetiana Babii) RRC Polytech Technology Management student, Khaldon Algundubi, arrives in Winnipeg. August 2019

He’s getting his first taste of Canadian winter, but Khaldon Khaled Algundubi still finds Winnipeg warm and welcoming.

Algundubi is the latest student to enroll at Red River College as an International Education award recipient through Red River College and World University Service of Canada (WUSC).

Originally from Yemen, Algundubi comes to Canada from Jordan, where he earned a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Jordan.

The 25-year-old first touched down at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport in August, when he was welcomed by members of RRC’s WUSC committee.

“They (RRC students and staff) keep asking me how it’s going with me and if I need any help. In fact, tomorrow I will meet Norman (Umali, RRC’s international student support coordinator) for lunch,” Algundubi says.

Left: Chair, Electrical, Mechanical and Manufacturing, Mark Blackner, with WUSC award recipient, Khaldon Algundubi and Interim President and CEO, Darin Brecht.

“There are really cool, friendly people here and I keep in contact with them or they call me to ask how I’m doing and what they can help with. Also, the instructors here are really friendly and care a lot about students. They give me advice on how to improve my skills and how to prepare for a professional career. I’m really enjoying being here.”

Algundubi is currently studying Technology Management at RRC’s Notre Dame Campus. A one-year advanced diploma program, Technology Management is for students with technical diplomas and degrees who wish to complement their technical know-how with managerial skills.

“It’s a bridging program, a suitable program for me since I already have a bachelor’s degree,” Algundubi says. “It is an advanced program that will help me to continue to master studies in project management. Project management is my goal.”

When he’s not studying, Algundubi says he enjoys exploring Winnipeg and trying new restaurants with his friends. When the weather gets a little colder, he plans to take a crack at ice skating.

Algundubi is embracing life in Canada, and feels like his new home has embraced him.

RRC International Students learn to Skate at Camp Manitou with the Winnipeg Jets (January 2019).

“The best description for Canada is it’s a peaceful country. It’s a country of immigrants, so when you arrive in Canada you don’t feel like you’re alone. There are a lot of people who share your experience that can understand you. They are very friendly here.”

Each year, WUSC partners with over 80 Canadian campuses and supports over 130 refugee students through higher education. Since 1978, the international development non-profit organization has helped over 1,800 students from 39 different countries to resettle and pursue further education in Canada.

In addition to WUSC, Red River College and local committee members, Algundubi’s journey to Canada was made possible with the support of such donors as Albert El Tassi, Scotiabank and the RRC Students’ Association, whose financial contributions make the program possible.

Those interested in joining the WUSC Local Committee as a member or a volunteer can contact Norman Umali , International Student Support Coordinator, at numali@rrc.ca or 204.631.3345.

Profile by Jared Story (Creative Communications, 2005)