VIU Foundation

Thank you to our generous community partners for helping students thrive through the Ripples of Change campaign. Your support is making a lasting impact.

Every gift creates a ripple of impact.

When Lavdeep Gill first considered applying to VIU’s Health Care Assistant program, he wasn’t sure how he would balance school costs with caring for his 17-month-old child. This year, he received a bursary that allowed him to focus on his clinical training and being the best parent he can be.

“Having this support motivates me to keep working toward a stable and meaningful career in health care,” he says.

Supporting more students like Lavdeep is the impact of a new giving dashboard designed by VIU’s Advancement team that gave them a clearer snapshot of where students could be best supported. An extra $600,000 was given out in scholarships, awards and bursaries this year thanks to the dashboard, which was built in-house and allows users to see detailed information broken down into numerous categories in near real time. The dashboard won a Council for Advancement and Support of Education gold medal at the 2026 Circle of Excellence Awards.

"I’m so proud of the team for finding creative ways to overcome resource constraints, build solutions in-house and focus on what matters most: helping more students access scholarships, awards and bursaries,” says Dustin McIntyre, Director of Alumni and Advancement.

Congratulations to the team!



VIU Foundation

From surviving to thriving – Morgan Carey’s journey shows how financial support can change a life. Growing up in foster care, Morgan faced significant barriers on the road to university, but financial aid helped him earn a degree and build a successful career as a business leader in Nanaimo.

Thanks to generous community support, our Ripples of Change campaign has already raised more than $1 million to remove financial barriers for students just like Morgan. Ripples of Change aims to raise $2 million for scholarships, awards, bursaries and the Access Fund by Spring 2027. Want to help us keep the momentum going and create more stories like Morgan’s?

Read his story, then click on the link at the end: https://news.viu.ca/surviving-thriving

“We believe that anyone with the desire to pursue an education should have the opportunity to do so, and that financial barriers should never determine whether a student can follow their dreams.”

The VIU Foundation's Ripples of Change campaign is working to make that vision a reality by raising $2 million for scholarships, awards, bursaries, and student supports across Vancouver Island University.

In a recent interview with Black Press, Richard Horbachewski, Associate Vice-President, External Relations and Executive Director of the VIU Foundation, spoke about the campaign's impact and the importance of ensuring students can focus on their studies, not financial barriers.

Read more about how Ripples of Change is supporting student success and strengthening our communities:

VIU’s ‘Ripples of Change’ campaign aims to raise $2M for scholarships, awards, and bursaries - Ladysmith Chronicle Cowichan campus pantry ensures that students focus on their studies, not hunger