On Tuesday, Sept. 6, students and community members perused the W. G. Scott ice arena for furniture, books, clothes, and other miscellanea. The garage sale event was a partnership between Bishop’s Sustainable Development Office, the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), Carrefour jeunesse-emploi de Sherbrooke, and Bishop’s Environmental Club, and served the purpose of clearing unwanted items from the ice arena as well as providing affordable furniture for students and local businesses. The funds raised from the event will be donated to the Student Refugee Program at Bishop’s.

The sale featured file cabinets, desks, office chairs, and other furniture, but also had a selection of clothes, books, Bishop’s gear, and bedding. The items were affordably priced, with a desk costing no more than $25, and office chairs priced between $5 and $10. Fourth year student Hailey Swift bought an office chair for $7, commenting, “There are a lot of hidden gems at this sale, and my chair is a hidden gem.” Other customers seemed to agree with that sentiment, as many pieces of furniture had already been sold by mid-afternoon Tuesday, with the sale lasting from noon until 8 p.m.

The majority of the items belonged to the University and were being stored in the arena, meaning they had to be relocated for the arena’s upcoming demolition. Sustainable Development Intern Karina Kramer shared that the used furniture was originally in disarray and had to be organized in order to facilitate the sale. Kramer had been working on the ice arena project since the beginning of July. Some of the organizational work provided employment for local youth through the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi program.

All the sales from the event benefit Bishop’s Student Refugee Program, which began in 1992 through a partnership with the WUSC. The program allows refugees to obtain permanent residence in Canada while also completing their higher education. The sponsoring university also provides a support network for the student while they settle in Canada. Bishop’s typically sponsors one student per academic year.

Credit: Bishop’s Sustainable Development Office