Program helps student parents at Christmas time

By Sean Macey

Debbie Bridger is the founder of the program which helps student-parents in need around the holiday season. The program has been running for three years. Photo by Sean Macey.

Debbie Bridger knows how tough it is for a young parent to raise a child.

Bridger, who works at Loyalist College’s health centre, watched her own daughter struggle to raise a child at a young age.

Three years ago she started a program that encourages Loyalist staff to help out students at the college with children. Parents who are identified as being in financial need can go to Bridger or Lauren Deans, the school nurse, who also helps with the program.

“Watching students coming in here struggling and they have a child and you know how hard it is at Christmas to do those extras, that’s what started it,” Bridger said.

In order to receive help, students are first identified by the financial aid office or their teachers as being in need. Parents then give Deans and Bridger information about their child and what they need. Toys, money, gift cards and clothes are all donated.

Deans said for some parents Christmas is nothing but dinner on the table, so she does her part to make it more.

“I think it’s a very valuable thing,” Deans said. “We’ve had a parent come in, and start the tears just flowing and she’s going, ‘You have no idea what this is going to do, this has taken such a huge stress off of me.’”

Bridger said this is the most children they have had since the program started. She said she had to send out an extra e-mail due to the number of children.

“For the last few years Debbie and Lauren have been doing this, and I figure, if they can do all the hard work organizing this the least I can do is make a contribution of toys and cash,” said a faculty member who requested anonymity because donors’ names are not revealed. “It’s a struggle financially for most students to be at college, so students who have children probably appreciate that little extra something at the holidays.”

Bridger knows how important the help is to some parents.

“It’s overwhelming, they’re so emotional,” she said. “It’s something you wish you could share with all the people that donate, because they’re [parents] overwhelmed by the response and the generosity, and it’s genuinely appreciated.”

The whole process is confidential. Only Bridger and Deans know who receives the help.