Frosh week isn’t always about meeting new students, celebrating and playing games, but getting out into the community and helping others with some fun.
Froshies—or first year Nipissing students, joining the fray of post-secondary life—have been up to various activities since their opening ceremony early this week. Split into teams, they’ve been active across town with their team leaders.
Diane Davies, one of the frosh team leaders and second year student at Nipissing University, was out with her group at Parker’s Independent Grocer taking part of the annual Shinerama, Canada’s largest post-secondary fundraiser including 35,000 student volunteers across 60 post-secondary institutions.
From shining cars, to pushing carts and everything in between, Nipissing students spent their Saturday outside a dozen location across North Bay and surrounding areas.
“We have all the frosh teams spread out across North Bay, and we’re trying to get donations,” Davies said. “There is one little boy from Ohio each of our teams have signed a card for and we’ll be sending it to him from the Nipissing University Student Union.”
She said all day she and her team have been reaching out to shoppers at Parker’s to help with their groceries as they come out of the store as well as greet people and instill a sense of joy and positivity.
“It’s been such a blessing to part of all this,” she said, noting it was her first time participating in the Shinerama fundraiser. “We’re so proud of our froshies!”
Cystic Fibrosis is a fatal genetic disease—affecting mainly the lungs and digestive system—that affects both children and young adults. Every year, about one in every 2,500 children born in Canada has CF. Thanks to the advances in research and clinical care, more and more children with CF are surviving into adulthood. In 1960, children born with CF rarely lived four years. Today, in Canada, those with Cystic Fibrosis live well into their thirties and beyond. Nipissing University has been participating in Shinerama since 1970, and has collectively raised (with Canadore College) over $325,000.
For more information about how you can help raise money and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis research, click here.
