Pulling together

It’s not the quickest or easiest way of driving a car around. But the carbon footprint is low and, more importantly, it’s for a heck of a good cause.

On Saturday, February 6, more than 150 students from Dalhousie’s professional programs will take part in Pulling for the Kids, a 12-hour relay event. Using safety-standard harnesses, five students at a time will take 15-minute shifts to pull two cars continuously around a track on the Sexton campus parking lot.

It’s been over three years since Dalhousie engineering students last organized the event, but this year’s revival includes teams from many of Dalhousie’s professional programs, from medicine and law to social work and architecture. It’s a friendly competition between the faculties to see who can drum up the most money for the cause. Organizers hope to raise $10,000 to support Camp Triumph, a summer camp for children ages 8 to 17 who are living in families affected by chronic illness or disability.

Get involved Are you a Dalhousie professional student interested in taking part in Pulling for the Kids? Or are you looking to contribute to the cause in support of a particular puller, team or faculty? Visit pullingforthekids.ca to sign up or to donate.

“A lot of our volunteers know someone who attended Camp Triumph, or they’re excited by how great a cause it is,” explains Stephanie Hagmann, president of the Dalhousie University Sexton Engineering Students Society and co-chair of the event. “As engineering students, we’re taught about how important it is to contribute to our community as professionals, and I think that mindset extends to other professional programs as well. We’re not just students in Halifax; we’re part of the community, and we all need to give back.”

Camp Triumph, located beside Cabot Beach Provincial Park on Prince Edward Island, has offered a free outdoor adventure experience to more than 500 children from the Atlantic Provinces since it started in 2005. The camp is a family affair, co-founded by Dalhousie medical student Jordan Sheriko and his mother, Kathi.

“Both of my parents fought chronic illness when my brothers and I were growing up,” says Mr. Sheriko. “We made the most of the situation and we wanted to help other kids do the same.”

Each summer, Camp Triumph holds three week-long camps each with 60 kids, plus a special leadership camp for older children. Staffed by a small core team along with dozens of volunteer counselors – many of whom are Dalhousie students – the camp offers a break from stress and anxiety, with all the activities you’d expect from a summer adventure: kayaking, swimming, archery, arts and crafts, drama, sports and campfires.

With a high return rate and beyond-capacity demand, Camp Triumph has been an overwhelming success with lots of room for growth. The funds raised from Pulling for the Kids will support the camp’s capital campaign to help complete its facility; to recognize the effort, one of the camp’s six cabins will be named for Dalhousie.

“It’s a challenge to run a charity and go to med school at the same time, but you manage,” says Mr. Sheriko, who will have to take a small step back from the day-to-day of the camp this year as hospital obligations keep him in Halifax. “No matter how busy it can get sometimes, all it takes is an e-mail from a parent thanking us for their child’s experience to keep you going.”

In addition to the car-pulling, the February 6 fundraising event will also feature a community pancake breakfast, live music, a raffle featuring prize packages from WestJet and Via Rail and a closing celebration at the T-Room. While there will be heated tents for the entertainment, the car pull goes ahead in rain, shine or snow.

“Everyone had best be prepared to bundle up,” says Ms. Hagmann.