Saskatoon Nursing Students Host Event to Help Community
Nursing students in Saskatoon host a mixer in support of a hygiene product initiative.
Students from the Saskatchewan Nursing Student Association (SNSA) of Saskatoon saw a need for hygiene products in the community and felt inspired to do something about it. Kira Boyartchuk, Treasurer for the SNSA – Saskatoon, had this to say about the initiative. “The SNSA is an organization that strives to support and further the practice of Nursing through health promotion and education, and community involvement and collaboration. With these values in mind, we identified a large local need and created the Hygiene Product Project, an initiative organized to provide essential hygiene products to individuals and organizations in need in Saskatoon.”
The students thought about organizing drives for hygiene products or hosting a contest to encourage donations, but ultimately decided on hosting a fun mixer to bring nursing students and faculty together. Instead of selling tickets for the evening mixer, organizers asked that each person bring a hygiene product as a donation. “With over 115 people in attendance, we collected a lot of products,” said Boyartchuk. “As well, we raised $625 from a raffle at the event that was used to purchase additional products.”
Throughout the month of March, the SNSA contacted a number of local organizations to assess the specific needs for products and in early April, they distributed over $3,000 worth of products to the Saskatoon Tribal Council, The Lighthouse and Interval House. “I'm so happy to see all the planning for this project was worth it,” said Boyartchuk. “I am so proud of this project and the positive influence it has and will have on the lives of the individuals in need. I would not have been able to make this possible without the help of my peers Abby Simpson and Hunter Hoium, as well as College of Nursing Assistant Professor Cheryl Besse.”
Boyartchuk says they also couldn’t have made this initiative as successful as they did without the support of the community. “We are thankful to all of the local businesses, organizations and individuals who made this all possible. Thank you Una Pizza & Wine, The Better Good, SUN, Pharmasave (Martensville), Chatters Hair Salon, D'lish by Tish, One Yoga, LifeCycle, the U of S College of Nursing, OLiV Tasting Room, University of Saskatchewan Bookstore, Saskatchewan Nursing Student Association, Synergy Crossfit and Snap Fitness.”