After two years of fundraising we have finally met our fundraising goals to attend the Students On Ice Antarctic University Expedition. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for university students from around the world to join a research expedition with a crew of world-renowned scientists in the Antarctic Peninsula.
Students On Ice’s mandate is to “provide students, educators and scientists from around the world with inspiring educational opportunities at the ends of the Earth and, in doing so, help them foster a new understanding and respect for the planet.”
We can’t wait to have a paradigm-shifting experience and become part of a group of people that are trying to make worldwide environmental change.
Our road to fundraising success was full of obstacles, and at many times it seemed unlikely that we would be attending the expedition. By mid-August, we still had nearly $10,000 left to fundraise in order to attend the expedition. However, as a last effort we put on a fundraiser for the expedition, and the support from the community of Whitehorse was astounding.
Many community members came out to support what we were trying to accomplish, people believed in what we were doing. But the inspirational support didn’t stop there.
Outside the Cube, a Whitehorse company specializing in tourism, marketing and advertising, showed their support for us in front of everyone at the event by presenting us with a $1,000 cheque. They then sent out a challenge to other local companies to match the amount that they had sponsored us. With the community’s support, and OTC’s help in promoting our fundraising campaign, we were invigorated with a new motivation and belief that we could meet our goals.
In the next couple of weeks, we received sponsorships from companies such as Alkan Air and Envirolube, and before we knew it, we were within $5,000 of our fundraising goal.
And then, with only a week before the fundraising deadline, Kaminak Gold - a company performing work in the Yukon - contacted us and said that they would sponsor the rest of our trip for $5,000! We were officially going to board the M/V Ushuaia on Dec. 26 of this year and learn first hand about Antarctic lands!
We have to thank the whole community of Whitehorse for making this dream a possibility. Countless individuals from the community have shown us undying support. We also have to thank a couple more very special local businesses that have supported us since day one: CAP Engineering, Ecological Logistics and Research Ltd., and Laberge Environmental Services. They are some of our biggest sponsors and supporters who encouraged us to keep trying to meet our goals.
If you would like to follow along with us on our amazing expedition, please visit our Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/yukonersinantarctica.
Thanks again Whitehorse. Keep being the great community that you have always been and inspiring young people like us.
Sabrina Clarke and
Patrick Soprovich
Whitehorse