Giving it all for Giving Day 2026
What’s better than a single Giving Day? 25 in a row! To kick things up a notch and celebrate SAIT’s tenth annual Giving Day in a big way, the traditional 24-hour fundraiser stretched into more than three weeks of fun! From cookie carts and plane pulling to dyed hair and Trojans takeovers, this year was all about coming together, having fun and raising money for SAIT students.
And the results of all this fun-filled activity speak for themselves. Thanks to SAIT’s incredible donor community, Giving Day was a resounding success! More than 600 gifts helped raise an outstanding $317,163 for students, surpassing the original goal of $265,000!
Sweet treats and some heavy lifting
Giving Day fun popped up across SAIT’s campuses throughout October. The Cookie Cart and Treat Bar proved to be a particularly sweet success, selling out all 750 cookies as students and employees stopped by to grab a treat in support of students..
Things got a little heavier at the Art Smith Aero Centre, where three teams of SAIT employees put their strength to the test during the inaugural Giving Day Plane Pull. Donor Force One, Learning on a Jet Plane and Torque of the Town, quite literally pulled together for students, helping raise more than $10,000 for Giving Day.
Seeing red
Tania Brandstrom, Director, Advancement Operations and Campaigns, gave the SAIT community a colourful reason to get involved, promising to dye her hair red if Giving Day welcomed 30 new monthly donors. The community answered the challenge and then some, with 32 monthly donors stepping up!
And true to her word, Brandstrom went red - adding a splash of SAIT spirit to an already colourful Giving Day celebration.
Expanded impact
Behind all the fun and activities was one shared mission — to empower tomorrow’s talent. Every gift helps create opportunities for students and gives them the support they need to learn, grow and build real futures.
Giving Day may be over, but the impact of that generosity continues.
Thank you to our donor family for giving it their all for Giving Day.
A special thank you to our sponsors and partners
Through generous matching gifts that maximize support for student success funds and prize contributions that inspire participation, our sponsors and partners helped amplify the impact of Giving Day and create even more opportunities for students to succeed.
A special thank you to BGIS, Guardian Partners, Second Cup, City of Calgary, Hotel Arts and Aramark for their generous support.
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SAIT is located on the traditional territories of the Niitsitapi (Blackfoot) and the people of Treaty 7 which includes the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Tsuut’ina and the Îyârhe Nakoda of Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney.
We are situated in an area the Blackfoot tribes traditionally called Moh’kinsstis, where the Bow River meets the Elbow River. We now call it the city of Calgary, which is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta.