by Ashley Spegel
Ryerson kicked off its fundraising for the United Way on Oct. 14, with its annual Pancake Breakfast.
Students, faculty and staff got up early for eggs, croissants, orange juice and golden flapjacks served up by a few of Ryerson’s big-shots, including President Sheldon Levy.
“I’m having too much fun doing this,” he said. “This should be a regular event, we should have one every morning.” Decked out in a black hooded sweatshirt and a blue apron with his name embroidered on it, Levy looked happy to be participating.
“I’m here for the obvious reason: I’m helping people who benefit with the help of the United Way,” he said. “I feel fortunate to not need help and I’m glad to be able to contribute to this cause.”
Levy greeted everyone with a smile and a friendly “hello,” and shook hands with the people to whom he served pancakes.
“I think they’re more interested in the food than me,” he said.
Terry Marks, a member of Ryerson’s University Advancement, thinks Levy’s involvement in the pancake breakfast was a great way to bring the university together as a community.
“It’s to give the students a chance to meet him on a more casual note,” she said. “Not every student comes into contact with the president. He’s there and so are members of the executive. It gives students a chance to meet them and say hi.”
Veronica Ng bought breakfast at the early morning event for the first time this year.
The second-year urban and regional planning student ordered six pancakes, two croissants, a frittata and juice for $7.
“It’s a good deal and it’s a great breakfast,” she said.
Since it began eight years ago, the Pancake Breakfast has been a consistent success and continues to raises a lot of money for the United Way.
“Over the years I’ve seen a lot of students participate. It’s something different because we don’t usually have big community events,” said Marks. “The students feel they should be a part of it because it’s a campus-wide event and it’s reasonably priced.”
Last year Ryerson raised $83,766 for the United Way from October to December. This year, the university hopes to raise $85,000 within the same time frame.
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