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Algonquin College public relations students launch annual charitable campaign

Posted on Thursday, July 14th, 2022

(OTTAWA – JULY 14, 2022) – Monday, July 18, marks the official launch of the All Hands on Deck (AHOD) campaign — a fundraiser for The Royal Ottawa Foundation for mental health. The launch event will take place in Algonquin College’s Student Commons Building from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The campaign is being organized and executed by 18 students from Algonquin College’s public relations program.

“Young people are struggling with their mental health and should not have to suffer in silence,” says campaign director, Sacha Foster. “We are partnering with The Royal to address what has been called the ‘invisible pandemic’ — the youth mental health crisis brought on by COVID-19.”

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), only one in five children receive appropriate mental health care in Canada. In Ontario, the reality is much the same. Mental health experts have expressed serious concern over the well-being of children and youth during COVID-19 — saying they’ve seen the number of mental health related walk-ins double in Ontario.

“This campaign is organized at no cost to the organization — 62 cents of every dollar raised will go directly to funding youth mental health care and research at The Royal,” says Foster. “For over 25 years the annual ACPR charitable campaigns have raised money and awareness for local organizations within the city of Ottawa and we are so proud to uphold that philanthropic tradition.”

The campaign will give students practical hands-on events and logistic experience while giving back to the community in which they live, learn and grow. To date, ACPR’s charitable campaigns have raised over $500,000 for local organizations.

For more information about the event visit https://acprcampaign.com/

 

The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health

The Royal Ottawa Foundation for Mental Health is a not-for-profit that raises funds to support research and care at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center, the Brockville Mental Health Center, and the uOttawa Institute of Mental Health Research.

The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center (The Royal)

The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Center is one of Canada’s leading mental health treatment and research centre. The Royal serves people ages 16 and older with highly specialized treatment and care. The Royal serves its patients through outpatient services, counselling, crisis intervention, and in-patient treatment at their 186-bed state-of-the-art centre. The Royal’s Youth Mental Health Program treats people aged 16 to 18 with a multi-dimensional team of professionals at The Royal ready to help when a young person is in crisis or in need of long-term care. That team includes psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, recreational therapists, and many other specialties.

For more information:

Reo Stubbs, Head of Media Relations, AHOD Campaign

stub0036@algonquinlive.com

Message from the President (September 29)

Posted on Wednesday, September 29th, 2021

Dear Colleagues and Learners:

I would like to start off this week’s communiqué with a note of thanks for your ongoing patience this past month as we implemented the College’s new Mandatory Vaccination Policy for the start of the 2021 Fall Term. Support for the use of the Algonquin Mobile Safety App to submit vaccine status information has been incredible, with over 11,500 applications submitted by College community members. Of these submissions, 92% are fully or partially vaccinated against COVID-19.

The month of October lies ahead and features three crucial deadlines related to our policy:

  • October 12: Those choosing to be unvaccinated by personal choice will not be permitted access to the campus after this date – unless they have been approved for an exemption (details on this process can be found here).
  • October 16: For those pursuing vaccination, this is the latest date you can receive your last shot in order to meet the College’s October 30 deadline for full vaccination. (Once you receive your last dose, you must re-submit your proof of vaccination via our AC Mobile Safety App or web portal).
  • October 30: This is the date complete vaccination is required – meaning you have received your last dose and have waited the requisite 14 days to be considered fully vaccinated. If you have not received your last dose – and undergone the 14-day waiting period by this point – you will not be allowed entry to the campus.

Continue reading →

Crystal Martin-Lapenskie Named Alumni of Distinction Community Services Recipient

Posted on Friday, September 24th, 2021

Every year, Algonquin College celebrates the incredible achievements of its alumni through the Alumni of Distinction Awards. These awards honour the extraordinary contributions our graduates make to the community while achieving career success. Here is a closer look at the Alumni of Distinction – Community Services Award Recipient Crystal Martin-Lapenskie. To register for the Alumni of Distinction event, click here.

President and CEO, Okpik Consulting

Social Service Worker, Class of 2013

When Crystal Martin-Lapenskie was first pondering her choice of career, social work wasn’t the first option on her mind. Her early goal was police work. Her family knew and were friends with many RCMP officers and when she expressed interest in pursuing similar work, the officers were very encouraging. “They’d say, ‘You want to be a cop, you can be a cop right here in your community,’” she says.

But life intervened in the person of her guidance counsellor at Opeongo High School near Pembroke, who reminded her that in order to graduate from Grade 12 she would have to complete 40 hours of community service. It so happened that she was heading home for a time: “I wanted to explore. I wanted to see family, reconnect and see where it was I belonged.”

Born and raised in Sanirajak in Nunavut, Martin-Lapenskie divided her time between the North and the Ottawa Valley through her teenage years. On this trip to the Arctic, she used the opportunity to do her community hours in a local school. She functioned as a teacher’s assistant, working with students her own age who were – because of differences in education in the North – in much lower grades. She helped with their schoolwork and volunteered at a hockey camp. What she learned in the process was both distressing and inspiring.

Continue reading →

Michael Wood Named Alumni of Distinction Business Recipient

Posted on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

Every year, Algonquin College celebrates the incredible achievements of its alumni through the Alumni of Distinction Awards. These awards honour the extraordinary contributions our graduates make to the community while achieving career success. Here is a closer look at the Alumni of Distinction – Business recipient Michael Wood. To register for the Alumni of Distinction event, click here.

Former Chief Marketing Officer/Managing Partner, Ottawa Special Events

Travel Counsellor – Class of 1997

From playing rock ’n’ roll in stadiums across North America to appearing before the federal finance committee during the pandemic, Algonquin College Professor Michael Wood has maintained a simple philosophy.

“My whole thing is that kindness matters, and everything happens for a reason. I am really just motivated by people being happy,” said Wood, one of Algonquin’s Alumni of Distinction Award winners for 2021.

After graduating from high school, the only career pursuit that appealed to Wood was becoming a rock guitarist and touring. His parents offered encouragement but wanted him to focus on school first.

“Because there was no music program at Algonquin back then, I went into the Travel and Tourism program. I thought that would be a way to get on a cruise ship and become a musician or learn how to book tours,” said Wood, who graduated in 1997.

Continue reading →

Perth Campus Alumni Crucial in Shaping Community (Part I)

Posted on Thursday, August 5th, 2021

When Amy Ayers graduated from Perth Campus’ Personal Support Work program in 2018, she had no idea she would soon find herself on the front lines of a raging pandemic. As a Personal Support Worker in an Almonte long-term care home that was one of the first in Ontario to suffer a widespread, deadly outbreak of COVID-19, Ayers played a critical role in the battle against the virus.

Since those first chaotic months, she has dedicated herself to raising awareness about the pandemic’s impact on the mental health of PSWs and health care workers in long-term care. Ayers says there can be a culture of silence and stoicism in the field that keeps many PSWs from seeking help. She has encouraged co-workers—and, by sharing her story publicly, all PSWs—to seek counselling, stressing the risk of PTSD.

Continue reading →

Syrian refugees take centre stage at special AC grad ceremony

Posted on Thursday, July 20th, 2017

Restaurant International lived up to its name on Wednesday afternoon as it hosted an audience from around the world for a special graduation ceremony.

The ceremony celebrated students graduating from a new course in the School of Hospitality and Tourism that is aimed at new Canadians — all of the students graduating are Syrian refugees. The course is intended to help newcomers to Canada with language training, kitchen skills, workplace safety, and the transition from one culture to another.
Continue reading →

Algonquin College Hosts Pre-Apprenticeship Fund Announcement

Posted on Wednesday, May 24th, 2017

On Wednesday morning, Algonquin College’s School of Hospitality and Tourism hosted the formal announcement of the Pre-Apprenticeship Fund by the Honourable Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Infrastructure and MPP Ottawa West-Nepean, and Marie-France Lalonde, Ontario’s Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services and MPP Ottawa-Orléans.

Announced in front of a full house in the Philip Killeen Hospitality Foyer, the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program supports the Government of Ontario’s focus on increasing the number of new entrants to apprenticeship programs while addressing skilled trade shortages. Continue reading →

Flood Warnings In Pembroke Area And Risk To Waterfront Campus

Posted on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2017

For the past several days, Algonquin College’s Emergency Management team and the leadership team at the Pembroke Campus have been closely monitoring water levels on the Ottawa River as the Pembroke area experiences flooding conditions brought on by spring run-off and heavy rainfall. At this point, the Pembroke Campus is not in danger of experiencing any flooding damage.

The City of Pembroke is monitoring properties along the waterfront continuously and will advise the College immediately should the current outlook worsen. The Ottawa River has been rising, as have several other lakes and rivers in the area and the City is now on official flood status.

The City is communicating with various organizations that are part of the emergency planning effort, including Ontario Power Generation and the Ministry of Natural Resources, and has been keeping the College informed of any changing conditions. Weather forecasts, which call for heavy rain on Friday and Saturday are also being monitored.

The College community will be updated as the situation develops.

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For more information please contact:

Jamie Bramburger
Manager, Community & Student Affairs
Algonquin College
brambuj@algonquincollege.com
613-727-4723 ext. 2756

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 185 programs. Based in the Ottawa Valley, Algonquin College is the largest polytechnic institute in Eastern Ontario. Visit algonquincollege.com.