All YURA members are encouraged to join in our efforts to promote student success while creating a legacy for York University retirees! Our 5 km walk took place on the Keele campus on Thursday, October 9th. While the walk has now taken place, donations to support this year's YURA Challenge can be made up to December 31, 2025. Just click on the red "Donate" box below. To date, more than $15,000 has been raised. For photos of the October 9th walk, please click here.
Background
From 2019 to 2022, YURA members participated in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon Charity Challenge, walking 5 km to raise funds for YURA sponsored graduate awards at York. Over those four years, close to $100,000 was raised for the endowment for the YURA Graduate Student Awards through our participation in the Charity Challenge. This enabled YURA to achieve the goal of endowing in perpetuity the three Awards which are given annually.
In 2023 and again in 2024, YURA’s fundraising cause shifted to support the student food bank and other campus food insecurity initiatives to help address the hunger and nutritional needs of a significant and growing number of students at York University: more than $35,000 was raised over those two years.
Beginning in 2025, we have introduced the YURA Challenge, which again included a 5 km walk, with participants and other YURA volunteers raising funds to sponsor the collective YURA team in support of York students through the acquisition of study pods for the University libraries.