Algonquin College Public Relations program celebrates extensive community impact with nearly $600K in fundraising over 40 years 

Posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2025

OTTAWA (Wed., March 26, 2025) – Algonquin College’s Public Relations (ACPR) program has had an extensive community impact in the National Capital Region raising nearly $600,000 over r 40 years of student fundraising for a range of community organizations, from the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre and CHEO to the Ottawa Network for Education, the Ottawa Food Bank and the African-Canadian Association of Ottawa.

Fundraising with the Winter 2025 cohort is ongoing, with events running until April 3, 2025. The Hope on the Horizon campaign will benefit Rideauwood Addiction and Family Services.

The program’s founder, the late Claudine Wilson, conceived of the idea of having students raise money and awareness for local charities as a way to practice their PR skills while giving back to the community. The ACPR charity campaign has been a highlight of the program ever since.

The Algonquin PR program welcomed its first students in September 1984 with the very first ACPR fundraiser held in February 1985 – a benefit pub held at the now-closed Bert’s Bar that raised $318 for St. Brigid’s Soup Kitchen. In December 1985, the PR program began a longstanding relationship with the Christmas Exchange of Ottawa-Carleton, raising funds through a teddy bear raffle every holiday season until 2007.

On Wednesday, March 26, 2025, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at The Observatory, Algonquin PR students are hosting the Ruby Reception event to celebrate 40 years of ACPR. Program alumni, students, current and former faculty and others are invited to attend. The event will showcase the program’s fundraising history and honour founder Claudine Wilson. Various guest speakers will pay tribute to the hard work ACPR students have done – and continue to do – to benefit the community.

Media are welcome to join, but RSVP is encouraged by email. The Observatory is located in room A1402, Building A, Algonquin College, 1385 Woodroffe Avenue.

“While the communications channels and technology have evolved a great deal over the last 40 years, this fundraising project remains an integral part of the program because it is life-changing for a lot of students,” says Lara Mills, Public Relations Program Coordinator. “They not only learn how to communicate with compassion and sensitivity around some very challenging issues, but by the end of the term, they understand how they can use their public relations skills to make a positive difference in their community.”

Public Relations Program Coordinator, Lara Mills, and Hope on the Horizon spokesperson, Ava McKnight, are available to speak about the program’s impact on the students and community. Additional information on the full scope of the fundraising impact is available upon request.

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For more information    

Megan Fraser    
Communications Officer    
Algonquin College    
613-302-0138    
fraserm2@algonquincollege.com  

About Algonquin College  

The mission of Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology is to transform hopes and dreams into lifelong success. Algonquin College, an Ontario public sector community college, does this by offering hands-on, digitally connected, experiential learning in more than 250 programs. Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario, with campuses in Ottawa, Perth, Pembroke and AC Online


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