Lip-Sync Your Heart Out: LU Airbandz 2016 Raises $11,000!
Every year, Laurentian University hosts Airbandz For Cancer; an event where LU students team up, suit up, and dance and lip-sync their way to the top in front of a sold-out crowd, all to raise money for the Northern Cancer Foundation! This year’s Airbandz show was on February 6th, and raised $11,000! We talked with Joseph McGibbon, Residence Life Supervisor at Laurentian University to get the scoop on the history of Airbandz for Cancer.
LU Airbandz is very popular fundraising event within the student community on campus; can you share with us the story of how it began? How has it grown since the first competition?
Airbandz for Cancer started in 2004 and raised $3000. Michael “Dex” Brown and some other great students thought that it would be a fantastic event for Laurentian and were blown away by the participation and charity of the residence community. The event has grown in popularity ever since and now sells out to a crowd of 660 Airbandz Fanatics every year.
Who puts on this incredible event each year? How far in advance does the planning begin, and how early do the teams start rehearsing?
Airbandz for Cancer is a student run event. Each year a committee is formed, and the generous volunteers work hard in order to ensure that the event is a success. The planning begins the day after the previous year’s event, and the students start planning their Airband in September as they form groups and brainstorm ideas.
How many people or groups participate in the show each year? Can any Laurentian student enter a team?
This year’s event has seven groups participating in the event. The groups vary from eight people to 30 people, and it is open to any Laurentian student, however, most of the teams are often made up of students from Laurentian Residence. We are happy to say that the University of Sudbury has a team this year!
We know that the Community Airbandz event was a huge success, and the teams danced and sang to 80s hits. Was there a specific theme this year for the LU Airbandz fundraiser?
The Community Airbandz was an amazing success and raised $35,000 for the Northern Cancer Foundation. This makes us all proud as we have been working with them for the past 18 months to help them, and it worked out well for everyone in the fight against Cancer. Our event does not have a specific theme, as we leave that up to the creativity brought by our amazing students. Next year perhaps we will announce a Canadian team! We will see, eh?
How are the donations raised, and how much has been raised in the past?
Donations are mostly raised from the students in residence doing various fundraisers, along with ticket sales. We have raised over $175,000 for the Northern Cancer Foundation over the past 12 years.
How do you see this event growing and changing in the upcoming years?
The event has already grown, now that there is Gougeon Insurance running the Community Airbandz. I feel like in the future, we may be able to work together more and maybe we will see a community group at our show, or a student group at their show. We like our Airbandz a lot, as it is not just about growing, it is about ensuring that we have a great event for the students to participate and attend, but of course also to connect our students to the community and get them involved in charity work.
How does it feel to know that the Laurentian community is so united in the fight against cancer?
This is an unbelievable feeling. To know that our amazing students are so passionate about the fight against cancer just warms my heart. They honestly make me so proud each and every day, and everyone needs to know that we are very lucky to have such great young leaders with us at Laurentian University.
Want to know more? Check out this great vlog post from Laurentian University all about Airbandz, and be sure to attend next year’s show to cheer on our Voyageur students!
Adriana Nicolucci
Adriana Nicolucci is a Communications and Film Production graduate, fashion enthusiast, and patterned sock collector. She’s often spotted munching on the Eenie Meenie Grilled Zucchini Pizza at the Buddha. Danny Ocean is her spirit animal, except she’s planning a heist to steal your hearts (not a casino)
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