Five times a year, the VFS Student Services department hosts a dinner in the VFS Cafe for Class Reps from every program. This past Monday – perfect timing, considering it’s Thanksgiving week for our American students – the dinner included a little something extra.

Liz McDonald, head of Student Services, and Charles Porlier, Head of the Makeup program, presented a donation to Julia Neville, a representative of the Oppenheimer Park Christmas Fund. The Fund allows various members of the film industry in Vancouver to give something back to the people of the city who are struggling: every year, the fund finances an enormous Christmas dinner for hundreds of men, women, and children in need.

How much did VFS donate? A whopping $ 9,711.06. Julia was overwhelmed by the gift, and noted that this amount is the Fund’s largest single donation – enough to cover the cost of the entire Christmas dinner.

And the best part is, everyone at VFS contributed to the donation. The cash raised came from VFS recycled cans and bottles (thanks to Oakland Vending), the VFS Garage Sale, and the recent Makeup Swap Meet.

The Oppenheimer Park Christmas Dinner always needs volunteers. If you’re interested in giving some of your time, please contact Liz at lmcdonald@vfs.com for more information.