UWindsor student group, selling popcorn to raise money for WRH, exceeds goal by six times
A third-year Biomedical Sciences student at the University of Windsor who originally expected to raise around $4,000 for Windsor Regional Hospital by selling popcorn says the student group which he co-founded exceeded their fundraising goal by six times.
Armaan Saini said he founded a university club last September called the “UWindsor Med-Assist Initiative” where members raise funds for different organizations centred around medical equipment needs.
The UWindsor Med-Assist Initiative was co-created by fellow biological sciences student Milan Lobana. The club consists of about 10 other members.
According to Saini, his group partnered with What's Poppin' Popcorn Factory and The Toy Box Early Childhood Learning Centre to sell popcorn to children at the latter's daycare locations.
All the money raised will be donated to the Windsor Regional Hospital Paediatric Ward for medical equipment.
“We did $74,000 in sales. Out of that, we get 25-grand,” Saini said, adding he hoped to raise $4,000 when he started the campaign. “I don't know what the specifics are yet but they're hopefully going to be using it for their oncology unit over there.”
Saini said he plans to make the formal donation sometime next week.
“It was surprising, at first. I started this club in honour of my grandmother who had Parkinson's disease and so it feels great that we're able to help out the community in this way. This is just the start. We'll be doing more in the future as well,” said Saini.
“She was very close to me and she had a lot of medical equipment at home due to her disease. I saw that gap in other families as well and I wanted to fundraise on behalf of that.”
Saini told CTV News he couldn’t believe how much money was raised during the three-week campaign, hoping it inspires others to help their community as well.
“I was shocked when we heard about the amount of money we raised. When I was in talks with Anna Raymond, the owner of the Toy Box daycares and her daughter Gabby Raymond, we were initially expecting three to four thousand in profit that we were going to donate," he said.
"We did $25,000 which is insane. It just shocked me.”
Correction
A previous version of this story did not make mention of the club's co-creator. Their name has since been added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW These two chemists were friends for decades. A DNA test revealed they were actually cousins
Jim Arner was always interested in genealogy and discovering more about his ancestry. But after submitting his own DNA test, he learned an old work colleague was actually a distant cousin.
Norovirus spreading at 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada
Norovirus is spreading at a 'higher frequency' than expected in Canada, specifically, in Ontario and Alberta, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
'Deeply unhappy' grocery shoppers plan to boycott Loblaw-owned stores in May
A boycott targeting Loblaw is gaining momentum online, with what could be thousands of shoppers taking their money elsewhere in May.
U.S. CDC says it's identified 1st documented cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles
Three women diagnosed with HIV after getting 'vampire facial' procedures at an unlicensed medical spa are believed to be the first documented cases of people contracting the virus through a cosmetic procedure using needles.
Tractor-trailers with no one aboard? The future is near for self-driving trucks on U.S. roads
On a three-lane test track along the Monongahela River, an 18-wheel tractor-trailer rounded a curve. No one was on board.
Health minister 'deeply appreciative' of doctors but capital gains changes here to stay
Health Minister Mark Holland says while he is 'deeply appreciative' of the work doctors in Canada do, the federal government has no plans to scrap the proposed capital gains tax changes outlined in the latest budget, despite opposition from the Canadian Medical Association.
Road closed in Oak Bay, B.C., so elephant seal can cross
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Ontario to ban use of cellphones in school classrooms starting in September
Ontario is introducing a suite of measures that will crack down on cellphone use and vaping in schools.
At least 40 people die in western Kenya after a dam collapses following heavy rains
A dam collapsed in western Kenya early Monday, killing at least 40 people after a wall of water swept through houses and cut off a major road, police said.