A class assignment has led Niagara College Business students to sharpen their sales acumen along with their spirit of community giving.

Five weeks of participating in Raising the Roof’s Toque Campaign culminated in a donation to the tune of almost $40,000 to help prevent homelessness.

“We are incredibly proud of the students and their efforts in giving back to the community. Not only did the students learn valuable lessons about the skills required of sales professionals, they supported a very deserving organization within the Niagara region,” said Associate Dean, Business and Management, April Tyrrell. “We are grateful for the time and extra effort of the committed faculty who coordinated and implemented this important project.”

More than 350 students began selling the toques in late January for their Professional Sales course, which is required for most term two students in the College’s School of Business and Management. By the time the project wrapped up five weeks later, the students sold more than 1,000 toques.

“We usually collect around $25,000-$28,000 every winter but, this year, our students topped all charts at $40,000,” said Professor Monique Finley, who is the course lead, and teaches a class who participated in this year’s toque sales, along with professors Lucy Silvestri, Zach Hallborg, Rachel Mostert and Susan Wedsworth.

Raising the Roof representatives visited the College in January to supply the toques and kick off the initiative by providing information to students about Raising the Roof. They returned at the end of March to collect funds raised.

“We are so thrilled with how this project went and the amazing fundraising done by the students,” saidShoshana Coodin, Marketing Manager, Raising the Roof. “This year was better than ever, with the students raising nearly $40,000 which is above and beyond what the classes have done before through this partnership.”

Funds raised by the Niagara College students will go towards Raising the Roof’s homelessness prevention initiatives including its Reside project, which renovates vacant or under-utilized spaces into energy efficient affordable housing through partnerships with social enterprise contractors and local housing providers. A portion of the funds will also go towards Community Care of St. Catharines and Thorold – Raising the Roof’s community partner in the region, which supports people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Raising the Roof’s Toque Campaign has been running for 26 years and has raised more than $9 million towards homelessness prevention initiatives across Canada.

“The toque has become a symbol of solidarity, that everyone deserves a safe and stable place to call home,” said Coodin.

The collaboration between Raising the Roof and Niagara College started years more than eight years ago and NC students have raised more than $175,000 over the years.

Finley noted that the project offers valuable experiential learning for students as they have an opportunity to apply their sales learnings from class to a real-world initiative.

“The sales techniques can be taught in the classroom but the pressure and excitement of the sale is best experienced between salesperson and customer,” said Finley.

Several students raised $200 or more, including St. Catharines resident Sarah Gowan, who won the ‘golden hat’ for being the overall top student seller. The first-year Business Sales and Marketing student raised $460 by selling toques at the College’s career fair, and by reaching out to family, friends and various groups she is involved with.

“I think this was a great hands-on class assignment; everyone got real world experience with selling and, in the process, supported a great cause,” she said.

Gowan was motivated by the competitive aspect of the assignment and had her sights set on first place once she learned a winner would be named at the end.

“This activity definitely helped me build my confidence as a salesperson and really reminded me that staying dedicated pays off. Nearly everywhere I’d go I would bring a few hats with me,” said Gowan. “I really value how the community around me all recognizes the need to raise money for the homeless and less fortunate people around us … Many want to help yet just don’t know how to.

“Through the hats, they were able to have an easy way to make a direct impact in helping out their community.”

Business and Environment Dean Alan Unwin noted that the initiative aligns with the College’s recent signing of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Accord as it supports many of the UN’s 17 urgent calls to action (including no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, sustainable cities and communities, and more).

“This initiative as a clear illustration of ongoing student experience that is always a priority for us at NC,” said Unwin. “We know the present generation of college-aged students are looking to contribute to a variety of social issues in a meaningful way through collaborative efforts like this one.”

Based at the Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Niagara College’s School of Business and Management offers, diploma, certificate, and two- and four-year degree programs to prepare students for a wide variety of industries spanning from accounting to marketing, human resources, international business, and more.

Niagara College has a full-time enrolment of more than 9,500 students from over 80 countries, who study in 130 diploma, certificate and bachelor degree programs at specialized campuses in Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake. Niagara College is also involved in educational projects and partnerships around the world and is consistently ranked among Canada’s top 10 colleges for research funding. Learn more at niagaracollege.ca.