Students take plunge at Chillin’ 4 Charity

If you happened to be near the bus loop outside the University of Lethbridge on Tuesday, you would have seen an unusual sight. It appeared to be a splash-and-play day, complete with an above ground pool and a hot tub…. but it was all for a good cause.

Dozens of students participated in the Chillin’ 4 Charity event hosted by the Dhillon Business Student Association.  The annual event focuses on raising funds for United Way Lethbridge & South Western Alberta. Although the annual event was not new, there was a new twist this year.  An ice bucket plunge where students competed to see who could outlast the others while sitting in a bucket of ice.  The longest time was 17 minutes according to Noah Worthington, DBSA Vice President of Corporate Relations.

Worthington says the DBSA reached close to their goal of $500, which is lower than previous years, noting that student engagement has dropped ever since the pandemic.

According to Jaci Zalesak, Executive Director of the local branch of United Way, grant applications are currently open so charitable organizations can apply for funding, however the deadline is the end of March.

In past years, grants from United Way’s community fund have supported the local food banks, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lethbridge, Chinook Sexual Assault Centre, New West Theatre, Woods Homes and many others.