What the heck is “bling bling,” anyway? For the Students’ Union, it was a fundraising drive that pitted U of C 101 students in a race to raise the most money for Cystic Fibrosis research.
However, it was not just a simple matter of collecting as many of the required pennies as possible. Groups could sabotage the opposing teams’ progress by placing other denominations of money in their buckets.
"People strategized the game," said SU Vice -President Events Irene Enyedy. "The orange team had a 400-person group meeting."
In total, the event raised $6,853.13, and the number of pennies alone was formidable.
"It took hours and hours to count them," said Enyedy.
This is only the beginning of the SU-led Shinerama activities this month, that will culminate in the official Shinerama day on Sept. 27.
"At the Shinerama conference, we stated our goal to be $10,004.10," Enyedy said. "We raised $5,002 last year and wanted to double that, and then some."
To reach their goal, SU President Matt Stambaugh will be participating in a Spam-eating contest at the end of September. According to Enyedy, the more money the student body raises, the more Spam he will have to eat.
To participate in this year’s Shinerama activities, visit the SU offices, located in room 251 of the MacEwan Student Centre.