Christmas cookies cure kids
Messiah College Students Team Up With CURE International for a Cookie-Eating Contest to Heal Disabled Children for Christmas
Students gathered in the Student Union on Tuesday, Dec. 9, to eat as many Christmas cookies as physically possible in the “Cure by Christmas Cookie-Eating Contest.” The contest raised funds for CURE International to heal children with physical disabilities in developing countries this Christmas.
When the crumbs settled, Dom Morrone was crowned “Cookie-Eating Champion” for eating a total of 42 cookies while standing next to his vanquished opponent Guillermo “Billy” Arboleda, who won a Sheetz gift card for raising $239 in pledges. Billy said, “It was a lot of fun and I’m so glad to be a part of what God is doing through CURE in the lives of all those kids.”
Each of the 16 cookie-eating contest participants raised financial support from friends and family for each cookie they were able to eat. Others fundraised and donated as well. Donations will help CURE provide surgeries for children with physical disabilities, giving them the opportunity to live a normal life. Participants have until Wednesday, Dec. 17th to submit their pledges, and pledges are expected to easily surpass the $500 goal that was originally set for the event.
Spectators cheered contestants on, listened to Christmas music, decorated Christmas cookies and watched videos to learn about CURE and its mission.
The event was co-hosted and organized by the Messiah College Senior Public Relations Campaign class, which is supervised by public relations professor, Dr. Nance McCown, and composed of nine graduating seniors who have been working with CURE International over the course of the fall semester.
Vice President of Communication for CURE International, Lisa Wolf, was in attendance and shared, “We challenged the students at the beginning of the semester to help CURE share its mission by reaching out to college students through social networking and on-campus events. They have done a fantastic job. The Cure by Christmas Cookie-Eating Contest is a terrific idea to generate interest in CURE and is a great tie-in to the Christmas season.”
CURE International is a faith-based non-profit organization that heals children in the developing world who suffer from curable disabilities such as clubfoot, cleft lip and palate, spinal deformities, hydrocephalus and other orthopedic and neurosurgical conditions.
To find more information about CURE and its mission to heal children with physical disablities or learn how to help, visit CURE’s website at, www.helpcurenow.org, or call 717-730-6706.
—DJ Sabalusky ’09
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