A group of University of Lethbridge students took fundraising to a new level recently and the
U of L community responded in kind.

Participating in the 5 Days for the Homeless campaign, five U of L students set $10,000 in funds raised as a goal. After a long week of cold days and even colder nights, the group far surpassed the target, raising a total of $12,064.80, or 121 per cent of the original goal. Last year, another group of students first participated in the challenge and managed to raise just under $8,000.

"Lethbridge is not considered a large university, yet we managed to raise more money than many larger universities in much larger cities," says co-organizer Amanda Miller, president of the Management Students' Society. "It just goes to show that the community and giving spirit of Lethbridge is very evident in our great university!"

Kathleen Barteaux, Tim Coker, Kyla Cottom, Daniel Meller and Derrek Wenisch were the participating students, while Kubilay Gok, an academic assistant in the Faculty of Management, also spent a homeless night with the group.

All money raised during the campaign is to be donated to Wood's Homes Foundation, a multi-service charity serving the most troubled young people in our community.

"Wood's Homes is an incredible charity," says Miller. "They make you want to raise as much funds as you possibly can and they are so grateful for every cent. The spirit of their employees was a huge driving factor when funds were being raised."

Throughout the five-day campaign, the U of L students remained outdoors, on campus, living just outside the Students' Union Building. 1st Choice Savings and CGA (Certified General Accountants) sponsored the U of L event.

"The group of volunteers, the participants, the sponsors and the empathy of the students made this event so successful - it is just amazing to see how far we exceeded our goal," says Miller, adding the event continues to gain steam.
"The 5 Days for the Homeless event is starting to get a lot of respect as a fundraiser at the University of Lethbridge. There was even a documentary at the film festival about the participants and the event. The support in the room for 5 Days was very humbling."