After getting a taste for giving back last year, a group of students kept the momentum going with another popcorn fundraiser, bringing in $18,500 for a local charity.
Armaan Saini, a fourth-year biomedical sciences student, and his friends partnered with 10 daycare centres in Windsor-Essex to sell bags of Richmond Popcorn Company popcorn to raise money for the W.E. Care for Kids Foundation.
UWindsor students sold popcorn to raise more than $18,000 in support of local children's health care.
"It's incredible to see the community come together to support pediatric care in Windsor-Essex," Saini says. "Raising as much as we did through this fundraiser reinforces the importance of accessible health care for children, and I'm grateful for the generosity of everyone involved."
With the help of friends Lauren Oschanney, Olivia Wahby, Vanessa Riolo, Selina Grado, Fatima Hamad, Ian Strange, and Riley Canjar, the group raised $18,500 for the foundation, an organization close to Saini's heart.
Saini says that when he was young, he came down with an advanced pneumonia infection and was sent to London for treatment.
"It's difficult being in a new environment, especially when you or a loved one is sick. Needing care away from home adds another layer of challenge to an already tough situation," Saini explains.
W.E. Care for Kids supports pediatric health-care initiatives, and this student-led popcorn fundraiser will contribute to its efforts. Proceeds help purchase hospital equipment and support community programs like the Windsor-Essex Therapeutic Riding Association, Ronald McDonald House of Windsor, and the John McGivney Children's Centre.
"W.E. Care for Kids plays a vital role in ensuring Windsor-Essex has the infrastructure needed to support our children's health care. Being able to contribute to that mission through this initiative has been extremely rewarding," Saini says.
This is the second popcorn fundraising campaign led by Saini. Last year, he and his fundraising club raised $25,000 in just three weeks for medical equipment at Windsor Regional Hospital an experience that inspired him to continue giving back to the community.
"It meant a lot to me that I was able to help out in a way I never thought I could, and it pushed me to do this fundraiser," says Saini. "I hope to do it again next year too, and hopefully, with each year, it gets bigger and better."
