The Bay College and LSSU Regional Center chapter of Business Professionals of America (BPA) announces its annual Chain of Love fundraiser which raises money for the Local Area 1 Special Olympics. This fundraiser will run for four days, March 2 through March 5 of 2026. During these dates, Bay College student volunteers will be accepting donations in the main entrance of the HUB on the Escanaba campus from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. EST.
The concept behind the Chain of Love fundraiser is that every dollar donated creates a link on the chain. The students invite each donator to write the name of a loved one on their link and add it to the chain. As a result, they are making a long chain of love. “As a club, BPA works hard to put ourselves into the community, and the Special Olympics is one of the events for which we love to volunteer. Knowing we have the opportunity to raise money for those participating, and seeing how excited everyone gets is worth more than words can describe,” says Haylee Gatien, Treasurer of BPA, Co-Champion of Chain of Love, and Business Administration student at Bay College.
The proceeds from this event help fund the costs associated with the Local Area 1 Special Olympics program. This includes the purchase of uniforms, equipment, and travel for all athletes. No athletes are required to pay; the BPA wants them to be able to focus solely on having fun. The Local Area 1 Special Olympics is completely self-funded; no federal funding is received. Fundraisers such as the Chain of Love are critical to ensure significant programs like this continue and thrive.
Gatien states, “I want to thank all those that volunteered their time, talents, and treasures. I am excited to get this year’s Chain of Love growing.”
If you have questions or would like to donate, click here to donate via Go fund Me, or contact Gabriel Viau (mailto:gabe.viau@baycollege.edu or (906) 280-8348) or Haylee Gatien (haylee.gatien@baycollege.edu or (906) 295-1769).
About Bay College
Bay College is the community’s college with a mission of: Student Success, Community Success, and Culture of Success. Bay is devoted to each individual’s achievement in the classroom, on-campus, online, in the community and into the workforce by providing career certificates, associate degrees, transferable university credits, industry certifications, trainings, and professional development programs which develop skillsets, enrich individuals, and advance careers. #BayIsTheWay
About Business Professionals of America Business Professionals of America (BPA) is a national student organization based on three pillars, community service, leadership/professional development, and developing workplace skills through business competitions. Through these key categories, students can challenge themselves to improve not only as a student but as a person as well through both the state leadership conference and the national leadership conference, students put to the test their skills that they have learned both in and out of the classroom.