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From handmade card deliveries to blood drives and fundraising for school playgrounds, students at UNB are embracing a spirit of giving, spreading warmth throughout the community.

Last December, Isaac Groom went knocking on residents’ doors at Shannex Parkland Saint John to deliver Christmas cards made by students on the Saint John campus. He didn’t expect that holiday magic would come in the form of meeting someone who had devoted her career to the very campus he called home.

The resident, a retired UNB professor, opened the card on the spot. “She was really moved that UNB students had taken the time to make something personal,” said Groom, a fourth-year health student and vice-president of the UNB Saint John Community Volunteering Club.

Groom and the retired professor shared stories about their experiences at UNB, past and present. What began as a simple gesture of goodwill turned into a memorable connection.

That spirit of giving and connection is alive again this year as students across both campuses organize initiatives aimed at brightening the season for our broader communities.

In late November, 30 students gathered on the Saint John campus for the second annual holiday card-making event. The turnout tripled from the year before, with over 100 cards created that will once again be delivered to Shannex residents.

The event, hosted at the Whitebone Pizzeria, was organized by the Volunteering Club, the Green Society and the Science Society.

In Fredericton, the Nursing Undergraduate Society has organized a similar initiative, and will deliver handmade cards to patients who will spend the holiday season at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital.

But the festive cheer doesn’t stop there.

On Nov. 28, nursing students on the Saint John campus hosted their first blood drive in partnership with Canadian Blood Services. The clinic welcomed donors from the campus community to help meet critical needs during the holiday season.

Also in Saint John, the Social Work Student Society will be cooking Christmas dinner for unhoused folks staying at Fresh Start’s Out of the Cold Shelter.

To make this happen, they’re hosting an “ingredient fundraiser” until Dec. 20, and have put out a call for grocery store gift cards, turkeys, ham, stuffing, fresh vegetables and all the fixings that make for a traditional homecooked turkey dinner. For those interested in donating and coordinating drop-offs, email the society or the initiative’s student coordinator Lucy Winters Drew.

Students in the BA3304 Marketing Management class designed and ran fundraising projects to support Millidgeville North School. On Dec. 8, they presented a cheque, which will support playground renovations, to the school’s principal and vice-principal. On both campuses, the UNB Holiday Free Store returned in early December, offering gently used clothing and household items at no cost to students.

For Groom and his fellow organizers, these efforts are ultimately about building community.

As Rebecca Isaac, president of the UNB Green Society aptly put it: “Small acts can make a big difference.”