December 4, 2023Giving Tuesday 2023!

It was a chilly, frost-covered November morning but the Aberdeen Hall community had the warm and fuzzies as everyone came together to share a day of giving and philanthropy, raising over $50,000 toward the school’s Annual Fund on Giving Tuesday.

What is Giving Tuesday? Giving Tuesday, this year on November 28, is a global movement for giving, taking place each year after Black Friday. The “Opening day of the giving season,” it’s a time when charities, companies and individuals join together and rally for favourite causes. In the same way that retailers take part in Black Friday, the giving community comes together for Giving Tuesday.

Kylee Wilson, Development and Community Relations Officer, elaborated on what this day means to Aberdeen Hall. “It’s about what we can achieve together - as a collective. To us, Giving Tuesday is an opportunity to rally our families, staff, faculty and friends to come together to support our school and the Aberdeen Hall Annual Fund. It’s a day of cheer, treats, appreciation and of course, BLUE AND ORANGE!”

“I think it's important to understand that a strong culture of giving is about participation,” says Jen Galli, Director of Development and Community Relations. “We aren’t asking everyone to participate at the same level; we are asking people to participate at a level that is meaningful to them. It can be daunting to see names on all the buildings and sometimes families see that and feel that what they can contribute won't be enough. That is absolutely not true. A strong participation rate at a school shows strength in the community's belief in the institution. It shows that you are behind the strategic vision of the school and the Board’s direction.”

Why is giving important?
JG: “Often people will tell me that they would rather give to places like the Food bank, BC Cancer Foundation, or other social organizations. And I always say, please do. Our society needs you to continue to support charitable organizations that give relief to those in need. But by supporting our students now, you are supporting the changemakers who are going to find a cure to cancer, who are going to come up with a solution for homelessness, and who are going to create a sustainable way of growing so that nobody goes hungry. The students at Aberdeen Hall are going to experience things through their education here that will set them on a path to change the world.”

KW: “Exactly. All of this to say that, as a parent, giving is incredibly important for me to model for my kids - I want them to see me helping where I can, because I want to raise them to do the same. And as leaders at the school, it is our responsibility to guide our students into being contributing citizens - it is very special to be able to make an impact on the people we love so much - our kids.”

It was a wonderful morning full of generosity and spirit. Students with celebratory signs danced alongside the school’s mascot Gryph while the cheerleading squad greeted cars into the roundabout. The “Donation Stations” manned by the Business Office and Development and Community Relations teams, welcomed gifts toward the Annual Fund.

This year’s Annual Fund focuses on the finishings and furnishings for the new Athletic and Wellness Centre. The Athletics Department along with our Leadership Team have identified a “Wishlist” of items, ranging from hockey sticks to yoga equipment, to ensure the new space has all it needs to make the student experience extraordinary. 

At any level, every gift truly makes a difference!