{"id":104240,"date":"2025-09-05T16:02:59","date_gmt":"2025-09-05T20:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=104240"},"modified":"2025-09-09T11:50:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T15:50:49","slug":"brock-rolls-out-welcome-wagon-to-build-connection-in-niagara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2025\/09\/brock-rolls-out-welcome-wagon-to-build-connection-in-niagara\/","title":{"rendered":"Brock rolls out Welcome Wagon to build connection in Niagara"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brock University volunteers will be headed into the community this weekend to greet new and returning off-campus Badgers along with neighbourhood residents as the annual Welcome Wagon program<\/a> rolls out across Thorold and St. Catharines.<\/p>\n

The team of University students, staff and local partners will visit 500 homes on Saturday, Sept. 6 to build positive connections and share Off-Campus Living and Neighbourhood Relations resources.<\/p>\n

Welcome kits that include important information about living off campus, such as municipal bylaws and regulations, waste management and volunteering in Niagara, will be distributed during the visits to help students understand their rights and responsibilities as residents. Included is the Good Neighbour Guide<\/a>, which provides tips on being a respectful member of the community, and the Brock Student Local Guide<\/a>, which highlights Niagara businesses and campus services.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether they are renting accommodations or living at home, we are committed to supporting our students in making the most of their university experience and leaving a positive impact on their new community,\u201d said Syerra Jasmin, Co-ordinator, Off-Campus Living\u00a0and lead of the Welcome Wagon program. \u201cBy proactively building meaningful partnerships and connections with local businesses, community organizations and residents through the Welcome Wagon program, we help set students up for success inside and outside of the classroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Representatives from the City of St. Catharines, City of Thorold, Niagara Regional Police Service, Thorold Fire and Emergency Services, Niagara Region Waste Management and bylaw enforcement officers will join in the door-to-door initiative. Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini and Deputy Mayor of St. Catharines Bill Phillips will also provide opening remarks for the day.<\/p>\n

While the Welcome Wagon is out in neighbourhoods, Brock students, faculty and staff will also be volunteering at organizations across Niagara during Brock Cares Day of Service<\/a>. The event, which is the University\u2019s largest day of volunteering, highlights Brock\u2019s commitment to community involvement and strong ties to the Niagara region.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrock Cares is a reflection of our deep culture of caring at Brock; our students are eager to get out and do good within our local communities and our partners are just as thrilled to host them,\u201d said Jenna Moorhead, Community Experience Co-ordinator and lead of Brock Cares. \u201cThrough these initiatives, students can choose to dedicate their time to help organizations whose work aligns closest to their own personal interest or area of study and are provided with opportunities to make new friends and community connections in the process.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a day of giving back, volunteers are invited to take part in a dinner hosted by the Thorold Business Improvement Association at the Moose and Goose in downtown Thorold. The event runs from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. and will include pizza and desserts from local businesses and a tour of downtown Thorold. The event is free for Brock Cares volunteers, but all members of the Brock and Thorold communities are welcome to attend by purchasing a $5 ticket at the event.<\/p>\n

Local businesses have also been invited to post signs in their windows welcoming new and returning students into the community.<\/p>\n

The Brock Cares Day of Service launches a monthly series of opportunities<\/a> for students to continue to volunteer their time throughout the year. Brock\u2019s Off-Campus Living and Neighbourhood Relations Department also conducts regular neighbourhood visits during the academic year to continue to support and strengthen positive relationships with students and residents in the Niagara region.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrock Cares Day of Service and Welcome Wagon are great ways to close out Brock students\u2019 first week on campus for the new academic year,\u201d said Kristen Smith, Manager, Off-Campus and Community Experience. \u201cOur community partners from municipalities, local businesses and social profit organizations do an amazing job welcoming our students to Niagara. Their collaborative efforts really highlight the important role that Brock students have as residents, customers, employees and volunteers in our local community.\u201d<\/p>\n

More information about the\u00a0Welcome Wagon<\/a>\u00a0and other community initiatives can be found on Brock\u2019s\u00a0Neighbourhood Relations website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brock University volunteers will be headed into the community this weekend to greet new and returning off-campus Badgers along with neighbourhood residents as the annual Welcome Wagon program rolls out across Thorold and St. Catharines.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":55,"featured_media":104241,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9794,4052,1],"tags":[1865,4402,703,14305,3726,4476,247,194,9075,7275,11942],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104240"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/55"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104240"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104245,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104240\/revisions\/104245"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}