Mount Allison University's Shinerama team has 50,000 reasons to smile. The 2011 Rise and Shine campaign in support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada has raised $50,000, surpassing their goal of $28,000 - the most successful Shinerama campaign to date at Mount Allison.
Mount Allison Shinerama chair Beth Whitfield says, "We had an amazing group of inspired and hardworking volunteers raising more money than I could have imagined this summer in Sackville. However, what really made this Shinerama season special at Mount Allison was the unwavering support of our residences. Plenty of students who were not even in Sackville for the summer started planning their own Shinerama fundraisers in their hometowns. This, along with the support of the Students' Administrative Council, the University community, and the Town of Sackville, brought our campaign to new levels this year."
Over 20 Mount Allison Shinerama fundraisers, earning approximately $12,500, were held throughout the summer, in addition to the annual Shine Day held on Sept. 10.
With Mount Allison students at sites in Sackville, Moncton, Dieppe, Riverview, Shediac, Salisbury, and Sackville, $20,000 was raised on that day alone. The Mount Allison Shine squad also raised almost $12,000 in online donations at www.shinerama.ca - the second largest collected in the country. Fundraisers organized by students outside of Sackville raised an additional $6,500.
Mount Allison's Shinerama team has enjoyed huge success in the past, receiving national recognition for their campaign in 2009, which raised over $36,000.
For more information on Shinerama at Mount Allison, visit Mount Allison Shinerama (http://www.mta.ca/clubs/shinerama/index.html), join the Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mount-Allison-Shinerama-2011/196371810408036), follow the team on Twitter (@MTAShinerama), or watch their promotional video on Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcbQD2Fx0EE).
Shinerama is Canada's largest post-secondary fundraiser, and Mount Allison has one of the highest participation rates in the country. The money raised through Shinerama goes to support the Cystic Fibrosis Canada and its efforts to find a cure, or an effective control for cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis (CF), which attacks the lungs and the digestive system, is the most common, fatal, genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults.
