Blue Jeans Day
Blue Jeans 4 Brescia
What is Blue Jeans 4 Brescia Day?
Blue Jeans 4 Brescia Day, held annually on March 5, is the one day Brescia celebrates and promotes giving on campus. It is an event to encourage Brescia staff and faculty to donate via payroll to the university. It is also a day to celebrate the current support from our community and promote philanthropy amongst our students.
What can I do on Tuesday, March 5th?
Drop by the St. James auditorium foyer between 11:30am and 1:30pm to take part in the following activities:
Sign up for payroll donations
•You can wear your jeans every Friday, all year long! Sign up by March 8th and you could win one of three prizes: $100 Jean Machine gift card, $50 Gap gift card, or a $25 Old Navy gift card
Wear your blue jeans for $5.00
• Make your donation and pick up your sticker to show you are a Blue Jeans Day supporterBuy pizza and pop for $5.00
• Grab a pizza and pop for lunch
• All proceeds to the Blue Jeans Emergency FundSpread the word
• Talk to your colleagues, students, family and friends about giving
• Tweet #bluejeans4brescia
What is the Blue Jeans Emergency Fund?
The Blue Jeans Emergency Fund started in 2007 as a way to pool the donations that faculty and staff dropped into the “Friday dress down day” jars around campus into one meaningful fund that would directly support students. The fund was re-born in 2009 when the recession surfaced. Southwestern Ontario was one of the hardest hit areas, and it meant that many students were struggling financially to stay in school. Even faculty and staff were being impacted by lay-offs in their families. Employees rallied around this fund to help students and employees affected by the recession. The fund has helped numerous students and employees in the last six years.
Why should I get involved?
Many Brescia employees donate every year to help ensure that we continue to be a leading university in Canada, preparing our graduates to lead with wisdom, justice, and compassion in a changing world. It's not the size of your gift that matters, it is your participation that counts.
Do you already give to Brescia University College?
You are a true inspiration to your colleagues. When you wear your jeans on Fridays, know that you are contributing to our Brescia community in a meaningful way. Thank you!
Why do my colleagues give?
“I contribute to The Blue Jeans Fund because I care deeply about our students and try to help them in any way that I can.”
-Brenda Bertrand ('06), Receptionist
“I give because I want to help people with everyday needs like medications, food, and caring for their kids. We don’t know how many people need help but are too afraid to ask for it.”
-Danka Rogic, Custodian
“I give because I strongly believe in university education as one of the ways in which individuals can fulfill their intellectual, social, and personal potentials. University isn’t job training: it's the cultivation of intellect and of an ability to learn that is always needed, if not always valued, in a civilized society. Brescia's gift is offered to women, but its consequences are for all of us.”
-Brian Diemert, Faculty of English
What areas can I support?
You can direct your support to the programs and initiatives that are important to you at Brescia. Whether you choose to have your donation directed to the Blue Jeans Emergency Fund, bursaries or scholarships, provide state-of-the-art equipment to a lab, help increase library resources, or any other project you are passionate about, you can be certain that your donation will make a difference.
What kind of donation can I make?
You can make a donation on your payroll starting at $2.00 per pay. Your donations will be deducted directly from your pay on a bi-weekly basis. On your T4 return each year, your total donations for the calendar year will be listed in box 46 for income tax purposes and acts as your official donation receipt. See below for a chart on sample donations and tax deductible amounts:
Donation per pay |
Tax Deductible Total |
$2.00 |
$52.00* |
$4.00 |
$104.00 |
$10.00 |
$260.00 |
$20.00 |
$520.00 |
$25.00 |
$650.00 |
* Based on 26 donations (bi-weekly for one year)
How do I donate?
You can sign up for payroll or credit card contributions by clicking the buttons below.
If you sign up for payroll donations by Friday, March 8th, you will get the chance to win one of the following three prizes:
- $100 Jean Machine gift card
- $50 Gap gift card
- $25 Old Navy gift card
Do you have any questions?
Contact Trish Gergich at 519-432-8353 x 28009, email trish.gergich@uwo.ca, or drop by in person to Room 128 in Ursuline Hall.