The University of Lethbridge community of alumni, employees and supporters not only achieved the goal set out for the 2025 Buy a Student a Breakfast campaign, it rocketed past even the most optimistic expectations — sending a clear message of encouragement to students. In all, $20,418 was raised, resulting in 3,403 breakfast coupons purchased for ULethbridge students as they head into their final exams.
“The generosity shown by those who give to this campaign always amazes me and to see we more than doubled our support for students this year is a testament to how much our community cares,” says Cyndi Crane (BMus ’95, MEd ’01), University of Lethbridge Alumni Association president. “I’m not sure people understand how impactful this is for students. The breakfast coupon gets them off on the right foot for the day, and even more than that, it sends a message that they have an entire community of people in their corner, looking out for them. That means more than anything.”
Each breakfast coupon is valued at $10, with ULethbridge food provider Chartwells donating $4 and supporters covering the remaining $6. The campaign had sought to double last year’s support, which had set a record with nearly $10,000 raised and 1,560 coupons purchased. With food insecurity a major issue facing today’s post-secondary students, the ULethbridge community and friends rallied behind the cause.
“From the very first day of the campaign, we could see that people understood the challenges students are facing and were eager to help,” says Christa Merrell, ULethbridge philanthropy advisor. “This is a very caring community, we’ve seen that time and time again, and having heard how thankful the students are when they receive their coupons, it’s apparent this is very meaningful to them. Thank you.”