Queen’s and local Rotary clubs GoNuts! with an online competition

The annual “Nut Drive” fundraising campaign, which normally sees first-year Queen’s University engineering students selling nuts door-to-door in the community, will take place this year in a modified online format.

GoNuts! will will enable the public to continue supporting the local charities championed by Rotary, while adhering to public health guidelines surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more than fifty years, Rotarians in the Kingston area have partnered with Queen’s first-year engineering students to sell nuts door-to-door every September, read a statement from the Rotary Club of Kingston, dated Tuesday, Sep. 1, 2020. This unique Kingston tradition raised funds, introduced students to their new home and exposed them to hands-on philanthropy.

According to the statement, both parties are keen to ensure this tradition stays alive despite challenges presented by COVID-19. Thanks to innovative thinking, the new, exciting, and fun GoNuts! fundraising event will run during Orientation Week.

Students are invited to participate in a competition to design a “Rube Goldberg” machine, a wacky invention designed to perform a simple task in a complicated way. Short videos of the best submissions will be posted online and everyone can vote for their favorite design. Votes are $2 each, and will be available for purchase from Tuesday, Sep. 8 to Friday, Sep. 18, 2020.

Website details will be available on the Rotary Club of Kingston Facebook and Twitter pages. All money raised through this online GoNuts! events will be used by the Rotary clubs in Kingston, Gananoque, and Napanee to support local charitable initiatives in these communities. Direct donations are also accepted, by e-transfer to [email protected] and donations over $20 will qualify for charitable tax receipts. To view the videos and vote, click here.