There was a fair bit of nail-biting going on at Saint Mary’s University last night.
Students participating in a fundraising competition styled after The Apprentice TV show faced cuts in the “boardroom” last night.
Forty-seven teams from Dalhousie, Saint Mary’s and Mount Saint Vincent universities were reduced to 24 last night.
The charitable — but fiercely competitive — fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society gives the four-member teams three tasks. Only the top performing teams make the cut after each task is completed.
“The first task we gave to them two weeks ago was to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society by telling a story. It was more or less going out, selling yourself and using your skills to have people donate to you,” explained organizer Leah Skerry.
A team who dominates all three tasks could win $10,000.
Brad LeBlanc, a business student at SMU, said it was nerve-wracking to face elimination last night.
“I’m nervous about getting cut because it’s such a competitive thing,” he said.
His team raised $500 by selling T-shirts with the phrase “I made a difference” printed on them.
“The students involved in this thing are in it for the long haul,” LeBlanc said. “It’s an opportunity to use your skills and abilities as opposed to using a cookie-cutter formula.”
It’s the third annual “Trumped Competition.” Last year students raised $19,196, but they’ve already raised $55,000 so far this time around. Skerry said it’s because there are more teams, and more interest.
The second task is something completely different, she said. Teams won’t be fundraising, but will be applying their creative skills.
“I can tell you that whatever the task is, the winning team’s creation will be used in the HRM both on a billboard and played on Z103.”
