(Edmonton) Medical students are taking the lead on a campus-wide initiative to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis Canada by shining shoes and taking donations.
On Friday during the lunch hour, various politicians will come to campus to shine students' shoes at Celebration Plaza as part of Shinerama. The dignitaries on site will include provincial health minister Gene Zwozdesky, Leduc County mayor John Whaley, St. Albert mayor Nolan Crouse, Ronald Damant, associate dean with the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and a representative with Cystic Fibrosis Canada.
On Saturday, student groups will meet on campus at Celebration Plaza for a pep rally, then disperse across the city to shine shoes and raise money.
"Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common inherited genetic diseases for Canadians," says Liberty Liu, one of the executives for Shinerama at the U of A and a second-year medical student.
"It's quite tragic. It's not just your lungs. Kids with cystic fibrosis are more prone to infections and they have digestion problems and other issues later in life such as fertility problems. It's one of those diseases where the medical community knows what causes it and we're well aware of the mechanism behind it, but we still haven't found a way to stop it."
Last year, U of A students raised more than $10,577 for cystic fibrosis research through their Shinerama initiative. The U of A has taken part in Shinerama since 1985.
Shinerama is Canada's largest post-secondary fundraiser involving students at almost 60 university and college campuses across Canada.