ArtSci ’17 worked through a cloudy day full of outdoor activities as part of the annual Shinerama fundraising drive on Saturday – raising $71,294.70 throughout the past academic year.

The final count, which is $5,000 more than their $65,000 year goal, broke the previous 2008 record of $66,060 by approximately $15,000. Last year’s final count, however, reached $58,000.

With Queen’s participating in Shinerama since 1964, the University has raised just over $1.4 million for the cause.

Shinerama is a campaign that Queen’s runs each year as part of the Faculty of Arts and Science Frosh Week activities. First-years are given the opportunity to raise funds for cystic fibrosis, a fatal respiratory disease that affects 1 in 35,000 people and has no discovered cure.

Though fundraising takes place throughout the year, most of the campaign’s events took place at Confederation Park on Saturday for Shine Day.

Along with a car and fire truck wash, carnival-type activities were set up for community members to participate by donation, which included inflatable bouncy castles, bracelet making and a used clothing sale.

“We were a little concerned this morning because the clouds were glooming, but we think it’s been a really great turn out,” Tessa Burnside, the community awareness respect and engagement chair (C.A.R.E.) for ASUS orientation, said.

The ASUS Sidewalk Sale, which took place last Thursday, is typically one of the most successful Shinerama events, Burnside said.

Each on-campus group, such as clubs and teams, were required to pay $100 to set up a booth at the annual Sale, which went toward Shinerama. Off-campus groups, including stores or other non-Queen’s affiliated organizations, were required to pay $200.

“This year we added an early bird benefit so if you paid $50 extra you got your first priority in where you were placed on University [Ave.],” Burnside said.

Only the first 50 groups who signed up were able to participate in this early bird special.

On Shine Day, frosh groups were also busy collecting bottles around the areas surrounding campus, another one of their most financially successful activities, Burnside said.

The bottle drive raised about 20 per cent of the day’s funds.

Tour of the Town is another fundraiser in which shops and organizations in Kingston are able to sign up to have first-years visit their location during the tour.

Businesses were charged $125 to be featured on the tour. This year, 29 businesses participated, raising $2,500 for Shinerama.

To commemorate the goal, Daniel Goncalves, this year’s Head Gael, pledged to get a “shine” tattoo if they surpass their goal – a promise he said he will now follow through with.

“We didn’t announce it to the first-years because we didn’t want the campaign [to be] about me getting a tattoo. We wanted the campaign to be about the campaign,” he said, adding that the tattoo will also state the amount raised and the date they passed their goal.