On Friday, 27 November, MGCI Key Club hosted the school’s annual Eliminate night sleep over at MGCI to raise money and awareness for the ELIMINATE project. The event was attended by about 45 students. Each participant raised a minimum of $25, and a total of $1400 was pledged. All proceeds from the sleepover were donated to the ELIMINATE project. The money will be spent by Kiwanis International and UNICEF to eliminate maternal/neonatal tetanus globally.
Registration began at 5 pm on Friday night, dinner was served at 8 pm and the event ended at 7 am the following morning. Ten staff members took shifts in supervising the students for the sleepover. Throughout the night, students could watch movies and play sports.
Key Club began planning for Eliminate Night in September. Despite this, the turnout was lower than previous years. Mr. Latchman, the teacher supervisor of the MGCI Key Club, stated that this was due to lack of student response. He also said that the club would discuss possible reasons for this in their debrief.
Yong Da Li, the President of the Key Club, said that aside from fundraising for the ELIMINATE project, Eliminate night is meant to “show that Key Club is about having fun, not just about planning events.” Yong Da added that lowered attendance was because fewer Grade 9 students attended. “Last year, there were many Grade 9s and Grade 10s. This year, most of them are Grade 10s.”
Many students enjoyed the food. Halal pizza, rice and salad were offered to participants. In the staff room, there was a snack spread that included popcorn from an on-scene popcorn machine.
Tahmid Nur, a Grade 12 student, said “I came because it’s my last year and I want to make the best of it. I’m hanging out with friends and having a good time.” Many other participants also came with friends. Jacky Yao and Angelina Le, both Grade 10 students, came to have fun with friends. Ejay Vidad, SAC’s president and Grade 12 student, said “I’ve come this event in previous years and it’s always been a pleasure to support a good cause.”
This year will be Key Club’s last Eliminate Night, as Kiwanis International will end their partnership with the ELIMINATE project this December. However, it is possible that they will continue to run similar events for separate causes in the future.
