The saying "charity begins at home" rings true following the donation by Assiniboine Community College (ACC) President Mark Frison’s family to the college.
November 30th was Giving Tuesday and ACC is celebrating the generosity of their staff in donating to student financial aid and various projects at the college. Over the past five years, nearly 200 Assiniboine employees have donated to the college through the Assiniboine Foundation. That has meant close to $250,000 in donations.
“Our staff give a lot to the college through their dedication and efforts at work. It is amazing to see so many go above and beyond and choose to support our students and development with their personal resources as well. It makes me proud to work here.” added Mark Frison, president of Assiniboine.
To mark Giving Tuesday 2021, Assiniboine president Mark Frison and his wife Edith are directing $50,000 to the Assiniboine Foundation toward the college’s proposed Prairie Innovation Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.
“Edith and i have been donors since coming to the college in 2010. The college is raising money for the innovation centre and last week the college picked up $500,000 from Ron Helwer. The innovation centre is an important project certainly for the ag sector here in Manitoba and was real easy for Edith and I to get behind.”
The Prairie Innovation Centre will be a hub for teaching & learning, applied research, and industry engagement. It will increase training for agricultural and environment sectors where one in five jobs are expected to go unfilled by 2029.
“As someone who works with the Agricultural sector and the farming community, I know how important skilled and talented people are to business success,” said Edith Frison, CPA-CA, who works as a tax specialist. “It’s an easy project to get behind.” The Frisons have donated to several initiatives at the college including the Building on Demand Campaign, Growing the Greenhouse, Simulation Mannequins and scholarships since moving to Brandon in 2010.
“Assiniboine staff have been extremely generous in their support of students and college initiatives,” said Heather Dodds, chair of the Assiniboine Foundation.