Queen’s Shinerama has surpassed its fundraising goal and broken its record for the second year in a row, raising $93,337.57 in its 2014 Orientation Week campaign.

Shinerama is a student-run fundraising campaign that operates across multiple Canadian universities and raises around $1 million dollars for cystic fibrosis research each year. Shinerama has been present at Queen’s since 1964 and sees a fundraising drive every frosh week, which this year included the Sidewalk Sale on Sept. 5 and Shine Day on Sept. 6.

Cystic fibrosis is the most common fatal genetic disease in Canada today, affecting approximately one in every 3,600 children. One in 25 people carry the affected gene for the disease, which currently has no cure.

The Queen’s chapter of Shinerama increased this year’s fundraising goal after surpassing their goal of $65,000 last year and breaking a 2008 record. Head Gael Heather Salema said during the campaign this year’s fundraising target was $75,000.

Shinerama raised a total of $93,337.57 — $84,806.57 from efforts over the year and orientation week, and $8,531 from their first online fundraising campaign.

“Last year our goal was $65,000 and we raised over $71,000,” Salema, ArtSci ’15, said.

“[Shinerama] has gotten more popular and we’ve expanded a lot more this year, so we’re really excited to reach our new goal.” Salema said that despite the rain, students’ spirits were up as they washed cars, held a bottle drive and carried on with the Shine Day festivities.

She added she thinks Shinerama is a great cause because it gets first-years to engage with the community.

“Within the first week of school they’re already providing some kind of community outreach activity, and already raising money for something important within not only Canada, but the world,” Salema said.

“That’s why I love that we still do Shinerama every year, and that we continue to raise more and more money every year.”

Shine Day is one of six Community Awareness Respect and Engagement (CARE) Committee events that raises money for Shinerama.

Quinn Bonafiglia, CARE committee chair, said this year’s Shine Day was different from past years’ because they’d expanded to a new location at the Kingston Centre.

The centre was one of three Shine Day event locations, the other two being Victoria Park and Confederation Park. The Kingston Centre location hosted a car wash and a bottle drive.

“We are kind of mimicking a lot of what other universities do – they go around and branch out into the city, so we are trying to do that,” Bonafiglia said.

“We think it’s great because it’s another opportunity to interact with the Kingston public for the first years and for the Gaels, so we are excited to see how that works out this year.”

Bonafiglia said he loves Shinerama because it’s both a great cause and a good way to introduce first-years to Kingston.

“Not only is it great for cystic fibrosis research and treatment, but I think having a collective goal as a committee and as an incoming class really brings them together and is a great introduction to Queen’s and to Kingston,” he said.