The Gratitude Project

This February, the Redeemer campus celebrated donors' generosity.
This February, the Redeemer campus celebrated donors' generosity.

Redeemer donors supplemented each student’s tuition by about $3,400 last year — and that’s before considering the $126,270 in bursaries and scholarships that donors also provided! Gifts like these, made by 1,586 donors, make every year of education at Redeemer possible.

This February, the Redeemer campus honoured these contributions with a week-long series of events called The Gratitude Project. The celebration gave students, faculty and staff an opportunity to thank the university’s donors, with buttons worn across campus serving as a reminder that every week at Redeemer is made possible by the underpinning of the broader community.

“Through the support of Redeemer’s donors, students are receiving an excellent education, and so much more than that,” said student Dylan Knibbe ’19, “Students are stepping into a place where they are able to be a part of true community, a place where they can discern God’s callings for them and where they can catch a glimpse of what it means to bring God’s kingdom to this world through every aspect of their lives. I’m grateful for the many ways in which my time at Redeemer has been incredibly formational for me.”

The Gratitude Project chalkboard in the Commons.

Starting on Monday, students signed thank you cards, which were hung in the Commons as a way to join together and foster a communal sense of gratitude. On a chalkboard in the Commons, students listed what they were grateful for, including professors, Christian education, dormmates and caffeine.

“Without the dedicated, faithful gifts of a generous support community, a Christian university education in Ontario would simply be out of reach for many students,” said Dr. David Zietsma, vice president, external relations and enrolment. “The Gratitude Project provides students and the whole campus a chance to say thank you. Thank you for making discipleship through university learning possible. Thank you for contributing to the next generation of Christian leaders who will bring the hope of Christ’s kingdom to our communities and culture in the years to come.”

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Beth Van Lingen
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