Lambton College is setting its sights on a new goal of raising $45 million over five years through its Funding Futures Capital Campaign.
The Lambton College Foundation held a campaign launch outside of the Sarnia school on Tuesday.
During its last capital campaign, Envision Tomorrow, the foundation exceeded its goal of raising $45 million over an eight-year period.
So far, the campaign is off to a good start as $10 million has already been committed by three groups. Lambton College's Student Administrative Council (SAC) has committed $3 million, the Alumni Association has pledged $2 million, and Cestar Group will contribute $5 million.
"Student success at Lambton College is about so much more than academics. We're proud to say that the Funding Futures campaign will support mental health and overall wellness at the college," said Lambton College President and CEO Rob Kardas. "This will notably include several recreation commons projects."
A couple of the projects will include a FireFit tower and a revitalized soccer field, which will be named the Cestar Field.
"We're really excited about it. It's going to be a much better facility, state-of-the-art, that goes beyond what it is right now," said Cestar Chief Operating Officer Adrian Sharma. "Right now it's very well maintained but in addition to what we're going to be building with a facility on the field itself, it's going to be more attractive for health, wellness, [and] fitness."
Cestar, a Toronto-based college, has been an active partner with Lambton College for the past 12 years. Its latest $5 million commitment will be split to support several projects, including professional development opportunities for staff.
Other projects highlighted through the campaign are an Alumni Terrace for networking opportunities and an Indigenous Outdoor Gathering Space. Plans for the space were unveiled last year and a groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
The capital campaign will also offer additional funding through scholarships and bursaries.
School officials, partners, and local dignitaries attended Tuesday's launch, which later included games and a barbeque lunch.
