Shuffle 34 raises more than $200,000 for students and services

First sustainable edition of Concordia’s annual walkathon brings total to over $2.9 million

October 5, 2023

By Sandra Evoughlian

Group of people in black t-shirts holding signs.

Team Shuffle for Climate Justice gets ready for the walk to Loyola Campus.

The 34th edition of the Shuffle — Concordia’s annual walkathon fundraiser — drew 906 registrants and raised more than $200,000 on September 22.

Hundreds of members of the university community trekked the 6.5 kilometres from Sir George Williams Campus to Loyola Campus. The Shuffle has now raised more than $2.9 million for scholarships, bursaries, resources and services at Concordia since 1990.

The day began with a warm-up in the atrium of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex, as well as with remarks by emcee Sudha Krishnan, BA 99, host of CBC Montreal News at 11, and President Graham Carr.

Some Shuffle teams stood out for their camaraderie and custom-made shirts and signs.

Among them were the Taking Care of Business team — led by Oliver De Volpi, manager, Food Services — who handed out apples along the walkathon’s route.

Also spotted were the turquoise tops worn by the Gina Cody School (GCS) EDI Trekkers, who raised nearly $12,000 to support equity, diversity and inclusion in engineering and computer science.

A woman in a baseball cap and black clothing at a podium.

Sudha Krishnan, BA 99, host of CBC Montreal News at 11, delivers remarks at the Shuffle 34 kickoff.

The Shuffle for Climate Justice team demonstrated their commitment with signs that harkened back to their participation in Montreal’s historic 2019 climate march and subsequent establishment of the Leadership in Environmental Sustainability Shuffle Award.

Other groups raised funds in memory of beloved Concordians.

These included the Dr. Bob Roy Memorial Award team; Team Kelly, named after student Kelly Oliel from the Département d’études françaises; and the Nadia Chaudhri Wingspan Walkers, named in honour of the late professor who, faced with terminal ovarian cancer, inspired thousands before her death in 2021.

Kristen Dunfield, associate professor in the Department of Psychology, created the Wingspan Walkers with Chaudhri, her friend and colleague.

“The Shuffle will always have a special place in my heart for the strength it gave Nadia during an impossibly difficult time and for how it continues to bring people together who cared about her,” said Dunfield.

Shuffle 34 concluded at Loyola Campus with the President’s Picnic, where President Carr announced the total amount raised — $200,000 and counting.

Cherry Marshall, BA 06, MA 10, associate vice-president, Development, announced that The Pace Makers — whose members walked in support of the Concordia University Retired Faculty and Staff Scholarships and Awards Endowment — had raised almost $15,000, the most of any Shuffle 34 team. Team captain Kathleen Perry was named Shuffler of the Year.

Notably, Shuffle 34 marked the walkathon’s first time as a certified sustainable event.

“There is no sustainability without community, and Concordia is an excellent example of that because sustainability is a community-wide effort here,” remarked Cassandra Lamontagne, BA 12, MSc 16, sustainability manager at the Office of Sustainability.

All gifts made to the Shuffle count towards the Campaign for Concordia: Next-Gen Now, the university’s most ambitious campaign to date.

Shuffle 34 raises more than $200,000 for students and services

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