The University of Northern British Columbia will be giving thanks to its donors this weekend, while officially launching an annual appeal for support among northern residents, corporations, and alumni.

"In keeping with the tradition of UNBC, the annual appeal is built on the theme every person, every gift, every year makes the difference," says Tom Berekoff, UNBC Director of Development. "The priorities for this year's annual campaign are support for scholarships and bursaries, additional resources for the Library, the Northern Medical Program, Athletics, and the planned Student Association building. Our goal is $200,000, a vital part of UNBC's overall fundraising target this year of $3 million."

This fall, about 625 scholarships and bursaries are being awarded, worth nearly $1.4 million. In fact, it's estimated that about one of every seven UNBC students receives a financial award to attend UNBC. Most of the awards at UNBC are the result of private financial contributions.

Personal and corporate support is expressed in many ways. Tomorrow, UNBC will unveil a new sign at the entrance to the Prince George campus. The sign was built and installed by the contractors involved in the construction of the Northern Health Sciences Centre, under the coordination of Wayne Watson Construction. It will be unveiled at 4:30pm Saturday at the entrance to the campus. A community reception will follow in the Atrium of the Administration building, where the University will officially launch its annual campaign. The sign unveiling and reception are open to the public.

Later in the evening, the University will host approximately 150 of its donors to the annual Donor Recognition event, which will start in the Bentley Centre at 6pm. The event will showcase UNBC's growth since 1994, with particular emphasis on current and planned expansion, such as the Northern Health Sciences Centre, the extension to the teaching laboratory, and the proposed Northern Sport Centre. The event will recognize and support the donors who contributed to UNBC's fundraising total of $2 million last year.