Shinerama
By DANIELLE LORENZ, MACINSIDERS
You may have noticed over the course of the last week that the Maroons (aka the people in the Maroon jumpsuits) have been trying to raise money
for
Shinerama by selling water and glowsticks, having a dunktank, and the ever-popular Charity Casino (and getting donations of spare change too). What is Shinerama? And what is the HUGE SHINERAMA event occurring on Saturday September 6th? Read on for more details!!
Shinerama is Canada’s largest post-secondary school fundraiser, involving students from more than 65 universities and colleges. The campaign has raised over $17 million to help fund cystic fibrosis (CF) research and treatment programs since its inception in 1964. What started as a shoe-shining campaign has turned into a huge fundraiser with funds going to monetary items as well as shining (or cleaning) objects.
CF affects the lungs and digestive system, and is the most common, fatal, genetic disease affecting young Canadians. Since the creation of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the life expectancy for those with CF has gone from the tender age of four to thirty-seven. Tremendous accomplishments have been made in the battle against CF; however, currently there is no known cure. The more money that is raised for this cause then hopefully the closer we can get to finding a cure.
On the morning of Saturday September 6th, the HUGE Shinerama event takes place. The Maroons will hook you up with a FREE T-SHIRT, stickers, tattoos, jellybeans, buttons, and a donation box and send you across the city to take part in shoe-shines, car washes and other fundraising campaigns.
After a busy morning of shining, you will come back to campus for the McMaster stadium’s GRAND OPENING for a free lunch and McMaster Marauders soccer home opener against Windsor!! GO MAC GO! Make sure you’re there to catch the half-time show, the free stuff, and the hilarious cheers!! Let’s get a little bit rowdy! R-O-W-D-Y!!
After the game marks a favourite Shinerama activity: the SHINE-OFF COMPETITION!! This Welcome Week Cup event is a time to cheer and get dirty with your residence!! The more people you bring, the more points your team gets so be there and bring your residence or society closer to the Welcome Week Cup!!
For the last 38 years, McMaster students have supported this fantastic cause in a big way. We hope you carry on the tradition and help us reach this year’s goal of $40,000!! Last year McMaster had the sixth highest amount of money raised for the cause, and this year our goal is to do better. Shinerama is a great time guaranteed! You won’t want to miss it!!!
The MSU Fundraising Initiative Team (FIT) is the group responsible for running the fundraiser. The FIT is a related, although separate part of the McMaster Maroons. FIT promotes student involvement in fundraising initiatives both on and off campus. They also host many awesome events through the year such as casino trips, bar blitzes, tournaments, and awareness campaigns – all of which aim for students to have some fun while working together for a worthy cause. If you’d like to get more involved with FIT, please check out their website, or send an email to the FIT Coordinator Alayna Kolodziechuk at
[email protected], or alternatively you can visit her in MUSC B109.
