#WellwoodSantaSelfie

Success can be measured in a number of ways. Qualitative or quantitative, tangible or intangible, monetary or otherwise. Success can be an amount of cash in the bank, a feeling or moment, or the opportunity to put skills into action.

#WellwoodSantaSelfies was a great success in all areas.

On Tuesday November 18 2014, Kate, Heather, Erin, and I set out to raise some money for Wellwood. Wellwood is a cancer support centre. Their mission is to provide support and programs for individuals and families whose lives have been touched by cancer. It’s about Living Well with cancer.

We set up a Christmas scene in between the two cafeterias in Mohawk College and set out to entice people to donate and snap a selfie with our Santa Kate. Our school is super generous; we are able to make an awesome donation to Wellwood because of Mohawk students and faculty. Thank you!

We spent the day dancing, singing, and chatting about Wellwood. This is one of the main reasons I would say our fundraiser was an excellent success, because we all had fun. Kate dressed up as Santa, Erin and I took pictures, and Heather used her awesomely loud voice to attract students and faculty to our photo session.

We were also successful because we were able to use this fundraising project as a chance to put our learned skills form class into action. Here are three examples.

Organization

Throughout our whole semester organization has been key. From competing deadlines, juggling school, work, and internships, and attempting to have a social life; being able to keep ourselves on track is a top priority skill for an aspiring public relations professional. Seeing a small fundraiser from start to finish gave us a real life opportunity to see just how important being able to achieve balance and plan ahead really is.

Teamwork

Public Relations as a profession means working with a multitude of different people. This project gave us the opportunity to do just that. Not only were we required to work as a team to pull off the fundraiser, we had to work with school faculty and administrators to book space, as well as with Mohawk College’s public to entice them to come see what we were all about… and donate their money! Which leads us too...

Competition

Competition doesn't always have to be negative. We experienced competition in two ways during our fundraiser. Another group from our class was also doing a fundraiser for Wellwood that day. Instead of looking at as a negative, we tried to turn it into a positive. Our groups attempted to direct the public to one another’s fundraisers. 

We were also competing with a free photo booth just up the stairs from our space. We did our best regardless of the circumstances, and were successful regardless.

For many in the #WellwoodSantaSelfie group, and our class, this project is the first time planning and coordinating an event from beginning to end. Regardless of how much money a group raises, this small fundraiser project is a great way for students to gain experience, get involved with a great cause, and have some fun.