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Campbell River family makes largest ever donation to NIC

New student commons space named after Mailman family to recognize largest donation in school’s history
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The Mailman family donated $1 million to North Island College to support students in Campbell River, B.C. From left: Dustin Raleigh, Amanda Raleigh, Caleb Raleigh, Cheryl Mailman, Kris Mailman, Blake Raleigh, and Kris D. Mailman, NIC Foundation Executive Director Randall Heidt and NIC President John Bowman. Image provided

A Campbell River family looking to give back to the community’s students was officially recognized by North Island College earlier this week. The college unveiled the Mailman Family Foundation Student Commons at the Campbell River campus on June 15 in honour of the largest donation in the school’s history.

The $1-million donation from the Mailman family will go towards purchasing equipment, supplies, furniture and technology that will benefit students for years to come, North Island College (NIC) said.

“We are deeply grateful and honoured to receive this very generous gift that will have an enormous impact on Campbell River students, faculty and staff, for many, many years to come,” said NIC President John Bowman. “This historic donation supports the college in providing outstanding educational opportunities that will further enable student success and contribute to the sustainable development of the entire Campbell River community.”

RELATED: North Island College Campbell River campus expansion officially opened

The funds will also be used to purchase equipment such as medical simulators, one-way glass, cameras and microphones for Campbell River’s first-ever nursing simulation lab.

“The variety and strength of the programs at North Island College gives the population of the North Island an opportunity to receive a quality education while remaining close to their family and community,” said Kris Mailman. “This advantage provides a foundation for better opportunities close to home and strengthens the community as a whole.”

The Mailman family is well-established in Campbell River and owns Seymour Pacific Developments, Broadstreet Properties and the Campbell River Golf and Country Club. The family is proud to call Campbell River home.

“As pioneers of the Willow Point community, my parents, Ed and May Mailman, established roots here and made a commitment to giving back,” he said. “This contribution continues their legacy of providing opportunities and improving lives in Campbell River.”

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The Mailman Foundation Students Commons, whose name was unveiled Monday, is the heart of the campus and houses a library and learning commons, a state-of-the-art teaching kitchen, cafeteria and bistro facilities, a new computer lab, technology-enabled student meeting rooms and a bright, open student lounge.

“This incredible donation from the Mailman Family Foundation has made all of this possible,” said Randall Heidt, executive director of the NIC Foundation. “I was fortunate enough to get to know the Mailman family through this process and they are truly pillars of the community. They have supported so many people and organizations in Campbell River over the years, which has helped shape this community into the amazing area that it is. We just cannot thank them enough for their tremendous philanthropic leadership.”

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The Mailman Family Foundation Student Commons is part of NIC’s $17.6-million expansion and renovation at its Campbell River campus, which added 105,000 square feet of new and renovated space, including a heavy mechanical building, aircraft structures building, aquaculture and trades building as well as a new trades building for the neighbouring Timberline Secondary School.

RELATED: Hundreds of NIC students benefit from school’s largest-ever legacy gift


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marissa.tiel@campbellrivermirror.com

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