Anonymous UBC student hides over 100 gift cards across campus
An anonymous student at UBC is helping spread some joy during stressful times for students, by hiding gift cards across campus.
According to the university, over the past year Reddit user “AJazzy69,” who goes by the name Jazzy, has been tucking coffee gift cards in library books, on shelves and on chairs in various locations.
He will take photos of the cards and post them on UBC’s Reddit page with hints of the locations, so students can enjoy a free coffee on him.
Jazzy said it all started when he was returning to in-person classes in the fall of 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“On Reddit, there was lots of gloom and negativity and stress. I was stressed, too, and I thought, ‘Is there any way I can help? I might as well try,'” Jazzy said in a news release from the university.
Jazzy said he purchased his first gift card that day, posting about it on Reddit, promising to hide more cards around campus in the coming weeks.
Since then, he estimates he’s handed out at least 100 gift cards to both Starbucks and Tim Hortons, with the value of the cards ranging from $5 to $75.
“I’ve experienced depression and anxiety in my life, so I’m passionate about giving back and improving mental health, just spreading a little bit of positivity across campus,” Jazzy said.
He adds that he’s fortunate his job allows him the financial flexibility to hand out the gift cards, which he typically distributes during stressful times for students, including exam season.
Jazzy has chosen to remain anonymous, not even telling his parents about what he’s doing.
“You just do it for the sake of doing it,” he said. “That’s why it’s anonymous. I was just raised like that. You give back. It gives me a sense of trying to do my part.”
Jazzy said he hasn’t decided what will happen to his project once he graduates, but he’s considering finding someone to keep it going.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Parents of infant who died in wrong-way crash on Ontario's Hwy. 401 were in same vehicle
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit has released new details about a wrong-way collision in Whitby on Monday night that claimed the lives of four people.
Three Quebec men from same family father hundreds of children
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
'What have we done?' Lawyer describes shock at possible role in Trump's 2016 victory
A lawyer who negotiated a pair of hush money deals at the centre of Donald Trump's criminal trial recalled Thursday his "gallows humor" reaction to Trump's 2016 election victory and the realization that his hidden-hand efforts might have contributed to the win.
Conservative MP says Chinese hacking attack targeted his personal email
A Conservative MP is challenging claims by House of Commons administration that a China-backed hacking attempt did not impact any members of Parliament, because the attack was on his personal email.
B.C. mayor stripped of budget, barred from committees over Indigenous residential schools book
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Loblaw leaders call criticism 'misguided,' say they aren't to blame for high food prices
Loblaw chairman Galen Weston and the company's new CEO are pushing back against critics who blame the grocery giant for soaring food prices, as a month-long boycott of the retailer gets underway.
Orangutan observed treating wound using medicinal plant in world first
Scientists working in Indonesia have observed an orangutan intentionally treating a wound on their face with a medicinal plant, the first time this behavior has been documented.
'Giant-killer' Kazushi Kimura to race in Kentucky Derby this weekend: 'I'm representing Canada and Japan'
Six years ago, at age 18, Kazushi Kimura left his home and family behind in Hokkaido, Japan to chase a dream. This weekend, he'll ride in the Kentucky Derby.
President Joe Biden calls Japan and India 'xenophobic' nations that do not welcome immigrants
President Joe Biden has called Japan and India “xenophobic” countries that do not welcome immigrants, lumping the two with adversaries China and Russia as he tried to explain their economic circumstances and contrasted the four with the U.S. on immigration.