2009 Shinerama campaign breaks records! Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Students shine the way to success in 45th year of Canada’s largest post-secondary fundraiser

Toronto, Ontario – (February 19, 2010) – Canadian post-secondary students set a new Shinerama record last year by raising more than $990,000 in support of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

“We are so excited to have met and surpassed our 2009 fundraising goals – especially in Shinerama’s 45th anniversary year,” said Serena Hartl, National Shinerama Chair. “This is a testament to what can happen when students from coast to coast really come together for a great cause!”

Shinerama is Canada’s largest post-secondary school fundraiser, involving students from more than 65 universities and colleges. The campaign, which began in 1964, has raised nearly $20.6 million in support of Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-funded research and treatment programs.

“We are tremendously grateful to all participants in the 2009 Shinerama campaign,” said Cathleen Morrison, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. “This has been a huge success, and it could not have happened without the dedication of thousands of high-spirited students across Canada.”

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common, fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults. There is no cure. When Shinerama began 45 years ago, most children with cystic fibrosis did not live long enough to attend kindergarten; today half of all Canadians with cystic fibrosis are expected to live into their 40s and beyond.

The CCFF is grateful to schools and volunteers who participated in 2009. Special thanks to the campaign’s generous national sponsors: Best Buy, Breakaway Tours, Domino’s Pizza, Mac’s Convenience Stores Central Division, MuchMusic and studentawards.com.

For more information, visit www.shinerama.ca.

About the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
The Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is a Canada-wide health charity, with 50 volunteer chapters, that funds cystic fibrosis research and care. In 2010, the Foundation is supporting more than 50 research projects, which are exploring all aspects of the CF puzzle; from investigating new methods of fighting infection and inflammation in the lungs, to finding new therapies that target the basic defect at a cellular level. For more information, visit www.cysticfibrosis.ca.