Georgian College

EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCE: USING HIS CAREER TO GIVE BACK TO A CHARITY THAT HELPED HIM KEVIN J. COLLINS Hotel and Resort Administration, 1984 Having benefited from the Easter Seals summer camp as a lad with cerebral palsy, Kevin J. Collins knew he would always somehow be involved in helping other kids have similar positive experiences. Combining his passion for helping others with his hospitality career, he became Executive Director of the Friends of We Care Foundation, which raises money from the hotel and restaurant industry to send kids with disabilities to camp. During his 15 years with the foundation, Kevin has increased donations five-fold, raising in excess of $1 million every year from within his own industry. As a result, the foundation is able to send 500 children to the very same camp every summer that Kevin attended as a child. His goal is to increase the amount raised to $2 million annually over the next five years. "I had the pleasure of attending the summer camps for eight summers, that's a huge part of who I am," he says. "I think I've come full circle, from being a professional in the hospitality world to being a professional in the non-profit. "If I can give one child with disabilities the opportunities I've been given, then it's been a good day." If I can give one child with disabilities the opportunities I've been given, then it's been a good day. Kevin J. Collins on his work to help send kids with disabilities to Easter Seals camp 2014 PREMIER'S AWARD NOMINEE Georgian Co-op and Career Services GeorgianCollege.ca/careers Hire a Georgian co-op or internship student WE MAKE EDUCATION WORK! 2014 co-op student of the year Jason Davenport, Marine Technology — Navigation program, aboard the Hanse Explorer. GEORGIANVIEW 2014 22 ALUMNI HAVING EXTRAORDINARY EXPERIENCES

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