COURTENAY, BC - This holiday season, the North Island College Foundation (NICF) is inviting community members to make a gift with the twice the impact through the Future 50 Legacy Match campaign. By pledging a legacy gift in their will or estate plans, donors unlock matching funds that provide immediate support for North Island College (NIC) students today.
In late November, the Foundation hosted a legacy planning workshop that drew strong interest and sparked a lively discussion. Several attendees also shared their intention to pledge legacy gifts, contributing early momentum towards the campaign’s goal of inspiring 50 new legacy commitments.
Zander Hole is enrolled in NIC’s Instrumentation & Electrical Automation Technician program. He is also the recipient of a legacy award and knows firsthand the financial difficulties many students face.
“I was honoured and grateful to receive this award,” he said. “Studying full-time has been both challenging and rewarding.”
Zander was awarded the Elizabeth Sywulych Ukrainian Heritage Bursary. He says the bursary helped ease financial pressures, allowing him to focus more on his studies.
“It truly has made a huge impact on my ability to complete my program at NIC and relieved some financial stress that would only have gotten in the way of my studies."
The Future 50 Legacy Match initiative works in two ways. Legacy gifts, whether included in wills or through assets such as securities, create opportunities for future generations of NIC students. At the same time, every new or enhanced pledge releases $1,000 from a $50,000 matching fund, providing an award, bursary or emergency assistance to current students. Together, the two campaign elements create lasting opportunities while also providing immediate support.
Along with the generous support of those who have already pledged to become legacy donors, the campaign’s matching funds are made possible thanks to two significant gifts of $25,000 from Ida and Ted Sauvé and Coastal Community Credit Union (CCCU).
For Zander, a legacy gift has been a tremendous help. “With limited finances and no time to work, this support means a great deal. It takes a heavy weight off my shoulders and reminds me that I’m on the right path.”
Legacy gifts like Zander’s, and the Future 50 Legacy Match campaign, not only reflect our community’s generosity but embrace the spirit of giving that define this season.
For more information about how you can become a legacy donor, contact the NIC Foundation at foundation@nic.bc.ca or visit the website.