{Education Generation} Birthday Fiesta!

This past November, a few of our members got together and helped organize a fundraiser for one of our favourite organizations, Education Generation. Erikka Ogrodnick, one of those dedicated members, shared her experiences in being a part of the event: For those who don’t know, Education Generation is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for scholarships that will allow young leaders in developing countries the opportunity to attend higher education — amazing, right? They are partnered with many organizations and programs nationally and around the world, in order to fulfill their idea that everyone should have access to education—and they have raised funds for 343 scholarships to date! As far as the people involved, I didn't get to know all of them as well as I would have liked, but after listening to them speak, it was clear how passionate they were with their program.

Now, about the EdGen Birthday Fiesta Fundraiser—I would just like to say that whoever came up with this idea is brilliant! Who wouldn't want to come out to a Fiesta-themed Birthday party that supports a great cause? And yes, the event was just as fun as it sounds, if not more (and I was “only” a volunteer!).

Imagine walking into a large, spacious room decked out in brightly colored balloons and decorations, mariachi music playing, and the bar stocked to a bursting point. Yes, you have just walked into EdGen’s Second Birthday Party! To kick the night off, we had the pleasure of hearing a number of inspiring speeches and stories given by the Executive Director of EdGen, Eileen Knowles, as well as some words from one of their program participants who spent time in Ecuador—incidentally the home country of Ms. Knowles. After being thoroughly inspired, guests were able to grab a margarita at the bar, fill their plates with delicious appetizers, and mingle over classic party games. Balloon Pop, Toonie Toss, Pin-the-Tail on the Donkey, a crazy photo booth—there was even a piñata. Needless to say, there was not a single dull moment at this birthday bash!

So, is Education Generation is a great cause? Yes. Was the Birthday Fiesta was insanely fun? Yes. Are the people behind EdGen are amazingly passionate and inspired? Yes! Despite all of these reasons, you might be surprised to hear none of these are the reasons I initially decided to donate my time to support EdGen. In fact it was YWiB—Young Women in Business—that provided me the opportunity to take part in this fundraiser. YWiB is a group of ladies at Simon Fraser University that are driven to succeed and passionate about giving back, and upon hearing about this event, and there was a number of us that jumped at the opportunity to donate our time—and our Birthdays! You heard right, one of EdGen’s most successful fundraisers to date is their “Donate Your Birthday” campaign, which YWiB’s very own President, Miss Nicole Braam got to learn more about and promote to party-goers at the Fiesta.

"It was fantastic to see everyone so enthusiastic about this fundraiser. People were eager to donate their birthdays and learn more about how they could help EdGen's cause. It was a great gathering of generous and sincere people who just want to do good in the world!"  - Nicole Braam, YWiB SFU President

In all, there was passion, fun, and excitement at EdGen’s Second Birthday Party to contain in one simple blog post. I know how much work went into planning and running the event, and those that were involved deserve a huge round of applause—or maybe just a nice big margarita ;)

To learn more about Education Generation, and how you can get involved,  visit them here To learn more about the “Donate Your Birthday” campaign, use the “Contact Us” feature on the EdGen webpage to request information.