When every moment counts

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine.

It's a theory a group of second-year public relations students from Cambrian College put to the test — and watched soar with flying colours — when they hosted Comedy for A Cause at the end of March.

The fundraiser was something they had to do for a class, but quickly became a highly-valued initiative in support of ALS Ontario. Ticket sales, the silent auction and cash bar brought in a total of $5,895.77 — much more than anyone expected.

Michelle Gallant, one of the students responsible for organizing the fundraiser, said even more important than raising money was the amount of awareness the evening generated.

“There are 400 people in Sudbury who now know about (ALS),” she said.

According to alsont.ca, ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig's disease. It is a rapidly progressive and fatal
neuromuscular disease that is characterized by degeneration of a select group of nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord.

This loss of motor neurons leads to progressive paralysis of the voluntary muscles. The heart is not a voluntary muscle; therefore, it remains unaffected by the disease. However, since breathing is controlled voluntarily by the chest muscles, death usually occurs when the chest muscles are no longer able to help the lungs adequately expel carbon dioxide.

In Ontario, there are more than 1,000 people living with the condition.
Brigitte Labby, regional manager of ALS Ontario Sudbury Chapter, said the student's efforts were “fantastic.”

“ALS is very much unknown in the community, so education is key,” she said. “The more people who know about ALS, the better.”

Marisa Certossi, the professor who graded the girls on their assignment, said the team, comprised of Ashleigh Buder, Angelica Garcia-Hennings, Brianne Benoit, Amanda Young and Michelle Gallant, put together one of the most effective fundraisers she had ever seen.

“This is probably one of the most successful events,” she said.

When asked why they decided to tie such a fun evening to such a devastating condition, the girls agreed when every moment counts, it only makes sense to make every moment as fun as possible.

Posted by Arron Pickard