North Bay is looking a little shiner, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of Nipissing University students taking part in its annual Shinerama campaign.
Frosh students and leaders were at 13 different locations Saturday washing cars and carrying groceries while raising money in support of Cystic Fibrosis research.
The annual fundraiser was part of frosh week activities organized by the Nipissing University Student Union (NUSU).
At the end of the day, the group raised nearly $10,000.
Shine day coordinator and NUSU Vice-President Advocacy and Awareness, Charlotte Foster has a personal reason for supporting the cause.
Her 17-year-old sibling Vicky lives with CF.
Vicky takes 25 pills daily and does an hour and a half of physiotherapy every day.
Foster shared Vicky’s story with Shinerama participants to give them an understanding of what CF is and why research dollars are needed to help find a cure.
“I was hoping the students would take home the message that CF is a disease that can affect anyone, and to really get involved in the community and to volunteer during their time at Nipissing,” said Foster who says her family has seen progress made due to research even in Vicky’s short life.
“Before they would have to take inhaled medication at the hospital. So, they would usually have to go every few months to get a dose. But now through advocacy work of CF Canada, they have been able to take those medications home and they can do it at home now. That wouldn’t have been possible early on in Vicky’s life. So, it is more affordable and accessible to get life-saving medications into the homes of people with CF.”
Shinerama has a long history in North Bay.
First-year student Jacob Kelk found people were generous with their donations.
“It is for a really good cause. A lot of people know what Cystic Fibrosis is, and they just want to really help out,” said Kelk.
“We’re not professional car cleaners but we are making them look as good as possible. People are really positive about it and they’re happy coming in or driving by honking their horn, so it is really cool to see.”
Jeff Rotar was part of last year’s frosh team and is back this year in a leadership capacity.
“I came here from a pretty small community, so CF wasn’t really talked about or well known. So, I really learned a lot about it in my first year because the student union really explained what it was, how if affects the individual and how we can get involved to find a cure,” said Rotar.
“Now I like to come out every year and raise as much money as possible and hopefully find a cure for this disease.”
Donations are being accepted online throughout September at here.
