NANAIMO – The 2017 National MBA Games, annual business-student competition was held in Nanaimo and area from Jan. 2-4 – marking the first time in the event’s 30-year history that it was held on the West Coast.
Also for the first time, Vancouver Island University was the overall MBA Games winner.
Perhaps most impressively, the event raised a record amount of money for its charity partner, the Moose Hide Campaign, which is working to end violence against Indigenous and non-Indigenous women and children.
In total, the Games raised $300,000 in support of the Moose Hide Campaign and its Safe Space, Safe Place initiative, which aims to end violence against women on Canadian university campuses.
The fundraising effort was generously supported by Montreal’s J.W. McConnell Family Foundation, which provided matching funds of up to $150,000 as part of its commitment to Moose Hide – another MBA Games first.
Of the overall total, VIU raised $45,000 – the highest amount raised by participating schools (more than 500 MBA students from 19 Canadian universities attended the 2017 MBA Games).
Two late-breaking donations, from Vancity credit union and an anonymous donor, also helped the Games reach its record fundraising amount.
The Safe Space initiative will roll out in the coming months at Canadian universities. Schools will be able to apply for Safe Space grants to develop and implement projects, such as safe walk programs for female students.
Other Safe Space ideas that were proposed at the Games included the development of a “safety app” and requesting universities to identify safe spaces on their campuses to encourage conversations about preventing violence against women.
The MBA Games featured students competing in academic, team sport and spirit competitions. VIU claimed top spot in the spirit category, due in part to its fundraising prowess and success in other spirit events. VIU’s cumulative results from the various competitions also resulted in the University winning the Queen’s Cup, given for the Games’ overall winner.