Welcome to Shinerama 2013!

Welcome to Shinerama 2013... Canada's 49th year of shining! I am delighted to welcome you all to the official kickoff of the 2013 Shinerama campaign. This year, students across Canada are committed to raising $1.16M, all towards the fight against cystic fibrosis (CF).

Light the Way: Getting Shinerama into the Hearts of O-week Volunteers

Every September, Post-Secondary Institutions across the nation welcome hundreds, if not thousands, of fresh-faced, sometimes excited, often terrified students to their respective campuses. During Orientation Week, these first year students are bombarded with tons of information about their new campus, classes, roommates, which bars to frequent or avoid, and the choicest online courses to take (for those interested, Carleton offers an excellent course called “Dinosaurs”).

Western University Orientation Week Rally

As a Shinerama volunteer or leader, you have likely been blessed with the daunting task of filling their fresh brains with even more information. Not only that, but also why they should care about that information. So the question arises, Kyle, how can I motivate Shiner Nation?

Check Your Local Listings

Shinerama is an awesome event that brings in vital funds for supporting Cystic Fibrosis Canada’s efforts to further quality CF research and care. We know how very important this is, but there’s another great benefit to Shinerama.  It gets students involved in the community, and the community involved in Shinerama.

Shinerama volunteers from MTA at a community Canada Day BBQ in Sackville, NB

This might be easy to shrug off if you’ve never thought much of volunteering before, or simply haven’t been in a position to have the opportunity.  But as every Shinerama veteran can tell you, once you’ve been bitten by the Shine bug, it just feels right to be involved!  You experience the joy of making new friends, helping connect with your community, and knowing deep down that what you’re doing is making a difference in a real person’s life.  The grown-up words for these wonderful things are philanthropy and civic engagement.  Hit the jump to read more!