Fundraising money collected last year for the Shinerama campaign for cystic fibrosis was stolen from an Aberdeen Street house late last month.
$800 in rolled coins was taken from the home of Paul Sawtell, the orientation fundraising chair responsible for Shinerama.
The money was raised from two smokers at Alfie’s and the coat check at last year’s ArtSci formal.
“It is pretty shocking,” said Natalie Abdou, the incoming Head Gael who is in charge of all orientation activities over the summer.
“At least Paul has not been hurt.”
Sawtell returned home from work May 28 to find his back door ajar and one of its panels knocked through. He did not notice anything missing at first.
It wasn’t until a police report had been filed that Sawtell discovered small items missing around the house, including sunglasses, CD players, a portable phone, and a cash box containing the Shinerama money.
Neither the AMS or the ASUS insurance policy cover the stolen Shinerama money, though Sawtell is hoping his personal theft insurance will cover some of the missing cash.
“We tried to brainstorm some ideas to replace the funds, and we decided to contact the [Kingston] Whig-Standard,” Abdou said.
Calls were made to the Head Gael’s office after The Whig-Standard printed a story about the theft.
The first call came from the manager of A&P on Barrie and Princess streets who offered to hold a barbecue as a Shinerama fundraiser. A&P is donating the buns, hotdogs, and drinks, and all money raised will go towards replacing the stolen funds. The tentative date for the event is July 28.
Another call came from a woman in the community who offered to replace the entire sum, while a local man offered to donate $100 in memory of his wife, a former staff member at Queen’s.
Sawtell plans to write a letter to The Whig-Standard to thank the various benefactors who came to Shinerama’s rescue, Abdou said.
“It’s a situation where things gone bad, [got] better at the end,” she said.
“It’s heartwarming.”
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