The annual Foxfield Races attracts students by the bus-load each spring, and for girls, social and historical custom suggests a sundress, a hat and other accessories as proper attire. With the aim of targeting these students while raising money for a good cause, ManiCURE for Muscular Dystrophy, a student organization started this spring, offered manicure and pedicure services during the Foxfield weekend and earned about $600 for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The group has similar plans for Homecoming Weekend, when it will offer manicures, pedicures and nail-painting.
Third-year College student Thuy Vo, who founded the group, came up with the idea for the organization after serving as a counselor at a camp for children with muscular dystrophy. Her close friend, third-year College student Khanh Phan, happened to be a licensed professional nail technician, and the two of them linked up to start the group, which sometimes hosts sessions on the weekends to teach members how to become nail specialists.
"ManiCURE for Muscular Dystrophy is unique because it diverges from the more traditional ways of fundraising while catering to the needs of University students," said Clara Tran, ManiCURE for Muscular Dystrophy webmaster.
The beneficiary of the group's efforts, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, funds research for the genetic disease, which is caused by a lack of dystrophin, a protein critical to proper muscle function. People who have the disease exhibit muscle weakness, which can worsen with time, and may also lose the ability to walk as well as other functional skills.
There is no cure for the disease, but members of ManiCURE hope to raise awareness of it at the University.
Previously consisting only of 15 members, ManiCURE now boasts 10 executive chairs and total of 30 active members. Due to the success of last year's event, ManiCURE is actively recruiting more volunteers before Homecoming weekend.
"In the future we hope to have smaller events targeting a smaller groups, such as sorority date-functions, but first we have get our name out there," Tran said.
Despite its early success at Foxfield weekend, ManiCURE's current members emphasized that their focus at this point is outreach.
"My greatest concern would be that when we graduated, our organization would be unsustainable," said Phan.
At this point, that outreach may take the form of events before sorority mixers, or events with other charitable organizations.
"In the future we hope to have smaller events targeting a smaller groups, such as sorority date-functions, but first we have get our name out there," Tran said.
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