AB
June 8, 2016 | Alberta
EDMONTON, AB – June 8, 2016 – Last week, CDI College’s Massage Therapy students raised $10,000 at the 4th Annual Charity Massage-a-Thon event in support of the Edmonton Food Bank, making this the largest sum of donations collected in the event’s history.The Massage-a-Thon is an annual full-day event organized
by Massage Therapy students from CDI College’s Edmonton North campus. As part
of the initiative, students select a different organization to donate to each
year.
Since its inception in 2013, the Massage-a-Thon has
raised over $22,000 for various charities across Edmonton such as the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation in
2013, the Kids Kottage Foundation in
2014, and local women’s shelter A Safe
Place last year.
Over the years, the charity event has received ample
support from the community and captured the attention of several generous
donors and sponsors, including this year’s official media sponsor, CTV; former
NHL player Kyle Rossiter; the Edmonton Firefighters; and more. With such
significant momentum, students were inspired to increase their fundraising
target from last year’s by $3,000.
At the Massage-a-Thon, patrons were able to get massages
from students and special celebrity guests by donating to the food drive,
purchasing baked goods and burgers at the bake sale and barbeque, bringing
their children to the kids' activity room, participating at the dunk tank, as
well as bidding at the silent auction, one of the prime sources of donations.
“Without the hard work of the students and the generosity
of the community we would not have been able to meet our goal and give $10,000
to the Edmonton Food Bank,” said Renata Maione, Campus Director of CDI
College’s Edmonton North location. “We are very proud to be part of such an
amazing team!”
This year’s items included a 55” television, a signed
football from the Edmonton Eskimos, a signed jersey from former NHL player Mike
Krushelnyski, Earls Kitchen + Bar Chef’s Table gift certificate, Treehouse Kids
House passes, and other exciting items.
Response to the Massage-a-Thon was overwhelming from the
start with line-ups forming outside the campus clinic before the event started.
Students and instructors provided hundreds of massage treatments over the
course of 10 hours to raise awareness and funds for this amazing cause. Their
untiring efforts and dedication not only provided attendees with therapeutic
full-body relief, but also played a vital role in meeting this year’s
fundraising target of $10,000 for the Edmonton Food Bank.
“The Edmonton Food Bank supplies more than 230 agencies
to provide over 500,000 meals each month,” said Doug Hunter, Resource
Development & Community Relations Coordinator at the Edmonton Food Bank. “With the donations from the event, we are able
to multiply those dollars by reaching out to distributors and grocery stores
for specific items we need, which are also sold to us at the best price.”
“The generosity of those who came more than exceeded our
expectations,” said Celena Voshall, Massage Therapy Instructor at the Edmonton
North campus. “We are so thrilled we made our goal!”
A cheque presentation will take place at CDI College’s
Edmonton North campus on Friday, June 10th, 2016 at 10am.
For more information on the Massage-a-Thon, visit CDI
College’s Facebook page or follow the event on social media using #CDICares.