Assiniboine Community College launched the Prairie Innovation Centre campaign in 2019 and has increased its fundraising goal twice, from $10 to 15 million, now surpassing their most recent goal of $20 million. But fundraising continues.

The project is to renovate/restore the original Brandon Mental Health Centre known as ACC's Parkland Building on the north hill campus.

The Prairie Innovation Centre will increase opportunities for students to gain real-world professional experiences through additional engagement with industry partners through applied research, work integrated learning, extension and innovation.

"The ACC Foundation has been doing such a great job with the recent fundraising campaign that we're in. This campaign has really raised the bar of what's possible to happen in Brandon," shares Advancement Officer for Major Gifts for the ACC Foundation, Beth Proven. "We've set some precedence in this campaign.  There's been some very significant precedent-setting donations for the college during this time with a couple of $10 million gifts and a $4 million dollar gift which are the largest donations we've ever seen outside of Winnipeg in rural Manitoba."

Fundraising continues but the next steps for the building project is that it will go to tender early in 2025 and they'll be able to start construction after that.

The Prairie Innovation Centre will create an enhanced agricultural training capacity, increasing seats in agriculture, environment and related technology programs from 300 to more than 800 students to fill the growing agricultural labor gap in Manitoba, and across the country.

"It's the right project at the right time," adds Proven. "It's an Ag project which fits this community and the rural area that we're in. So, there's been a great response to the fundraising."

Proven says fundraising continues with a focus on their alumni and friends now through the summer months.

"So, we've got our Alumni & Friends Campaign that we launched at Ag Day actually ... our alumni from the School of Agriculture and then the community of producers that are around us, so the farming community in the rural areas. That's where we're focusing."

Please listen to more with Beth Proven of the ACC Foundation below!