Providence’s Otterburne campus was host to over 220 people last week Friday, September 27th for its annual Harvest Festival Banquet. The crowd included Board Members, Corporation Members, alumni, friends, and employees of Providence. A number of dignitaries from the Manitoba Legislature including the Honourable Ron. R. Schuler, Minister of Manitoba Infrastructure and MLA for Springfield-Ritchot, the Honourable Kelvin Goertzen, Minister of Education and Training and MLA for Steinbach, and Andrew Micklefield, MLA for Rossmere and Providence Alumnus were also in attendance.
The evening’s program was notably different from that of previous years, shining a spotlight on the first-hand experiences of students and alumni. Morgan Krogstad (current student), Lydia Summerville (BA 2010, MA 2013), and Gavin Hall (Board Member, MDiv 2005) shared reflections on Providence’s five core values – Christ First, Diversity of Thought, Exploration, Academic Excellence, and Community – and how these values impacted their time at Providence and the work they now do in their communities.
“By God’s grace, Providence has been given an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our students, helping them to develop knowledge and character for leadership and service. This is done within the framework of our values, and it was a joy to share with the community stories of students and alumni personally experiencing this,” said Samantha Groenendijk, Director of Development at Providence.
President David Johnson invited guests to partner with Providence prayerfully and financially as we equip students to carry out God’s shalom to the world. The event saw over $44,000 raised through gifts, table sponsorships, and a generous $10,000 challenge gift. These funds will go directly to impacting students’ day-to-day experiences through the Providence Fund. Providence is able to provide quality, Christ-centered education at an affordable rate thanks to a robust Providence Fund.
The evening included a Thanksgiving-style dinner, musical entertainment provided by Shauna Hart (BA 2004), and the entire gathering singing Providence’s school hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, to conclude the evening.
“It was a pleasure to connect with so many of our supporters and to celebrate God’s provision towards Providence,” remarked Groenendijk. “Thank you to those who joined us for helping to make the night a success.”
