Together Time: ĢƵ students share the joy of learning with hundreds of children
This feature appears in ĢƵ’s 2024-2025 Giving Report, which shares how donors make a difference in the lives of students and the success of the University.
Launched in 2021 with themed ‘story sacks’ — backpacks filled with books, puzzles, and games on topics from dinosaurs to friendship — the program now delivers close to 200 story sacks each year to more than 400 children at six schools. The story sacks encourage playful, literacy-focused learning.
Together Time has expanded to include day trips to ĢƵ, where children explore everything from the physics of sound to Canadian art, and visits by ĢƵ students to local classrooms.
Dozens of ĢƵ students volunteer with Together Time, developing story sacks, leading campus programming, and assisting teachers in local schools — gaining valuable experience while making a tangible impact in the community.
“One of my favourite memories is working with an elementary school, providing classroom support and one-on-one mentoring, and then welcoming those same children to ĢƵ for a campus visit,” says fourth-year student Lily Schwartz. “I could truly relate to the excitement of welcoming students to your classroom, and I will never forget how excited they were and how much fun they had learning and playing at our University.”
Together Time is generously supported by the Walker Wood Foundation, whose recent gift funds new story sacks, transportation costs for school visits, and paid student internships.
For fourth-year student Tallulah MacNeil, the internship was transformative. After volunteering hosting children on campus and working within a local school, she spent summer 2025 in a paid position designing new story sacks.
“I have really enjoyed taking a more active and formal role in developing the program, and it’s nice to have something I care deeply about double as a part-time job,” says MacNeil. “Working behind the scenes has shown me how much care goes into every detail of Together Time. I hope others see that too and want to be a part of it — because I think that together we can make a difference.”
Read more stories of philanthropy at mta.ca/giving
