CREDIT: JEN DOEDE
The FSU hosted their second Wellness Wishes initiative earlier this week.

Fifty-four students were surprised to have their gift wishes granted at this year’s Wellness Wishes initiative.

The event, which was hosted by the Fanshawe Student Union (FSU), aimed to grant a number of gift wishes that students were hoping to receive this holiday season.

Kate Morris, Student Life co-ordinator for the FSU, explained that during this year’s Winter Fair, students were asked to write down on a piece of paper what gift they would like to receive this holiday season, in exchange for an entry into winning a door prize.

Over 500 students wrote down a gift wish at the Fair this year.

However, what many students did not know was that the FSU read all the wishes and attempted to grant as many as possible. This year, 54 wishes were granted.

Students whose wishes were selected for the initiative were contacted via telephone and asked to book a time to pick-up their “door prize” on either Dec. 12 or 13.

When students showed up at SC1000 to pick-up their prize, they were asked to lift up a large hollow gift-wrapped box, which contained their gift wish.

Nichole Kroesbergen, a student in the fitness and health promotion program, asked for a pair of London Knights hockey tickets at the Winter Fair.

Upon receiving her gift wish, Kroesbergen was happy for the opportunity to take her father out to a hockey game this holiday season.

“I was really happy to get the tickets, I was really surprised,” Kroesbergen said.

Laura Forster, a student in the travel and tourism program, was surprised to receive a Disney gift card for her gift wish. Forster explained that she is planning a trip to Disney World with her boyfriend this spring.

Jason Roberts, a student in the police foundations program, received a Nintendo 64 with a controller.

Roberts said he chose to fill out a wish at the Winter Fair after a representative from the FSU encouraged him to enter. When asked what games he plans to purchase for his new console, Roberts said he will probably pick-up some classics such as Super Mario 64, Paper Mario and Super Smash Bros.

Some of the other wishes granted included: tickets to a Brett Kissel concert, chocolates, a lava lamp, a Bluetooth speaker, a bowling ball, gift cards, Bananagrams, Lush bath bombs and more.

“The fact that we get to fulfill some of these wishes for students, especially during this stressful time with the aftermath of the strike, it’s really nice to be able to see the smiles on people’s faces,” Morris said. “I’m glad I got to be a part of surprising students with their wishes.”

Morganna Sampson, president of the FSU, spearheaded the first Wellness Wishes initiative last year when she was the VP of entertainment. Morris explained that she chose to bring back the initiative this year after seeing how successful and cheerful students were writing down their wishes at the Winter Fair last year.

“Pay it forward when you can. Even giving someone a smile can go a long way,” Morris said.