Help the Christie Lab to toss their boss for charity

The Christie Lab needs your help to toss their boss off a bridge.

If the lab raises $500 for the Toss the Boss fundraiser by October 1, 2021, they can nominate Dr. Brian Christie to go bungee jumping at WildPlay Nanaimo. If Dr. Christie chickens out, he’ll have to double the team’s donation amount, wear a chicken hat, and do the chicken dance on location.

Toss the Boss is a new campaign to raise funds for the Victoria Brain Injury Society (VBIS) and Nanaimo Brain Injury Society (NBIS). Proceeds will support programs including peer and individual support groups, music therapy, yoga, art programs, mindfulness training, and more.

This fundraiser is a personal one for many members of the Christie Lab, who partner with VBIS for research supporting those with traumatic brain injuries. “I am so fortunate to have VBIS as a research partnership, and I know that our research together makes a difference in people's lives,” says Taylor Snowden-Richardson (Christie Lab, Division of Medical Sciences, Neuroscience Graduate Program), who is heading the fundraiser. “VBIS is one of the most compassionate, helpful and inspiring organizations in Victoria. They provide a home-away-from-home for those with brain injuries and support thousands of individuals through all stages of recovery. They need community support to continue running.”

Plus, the whole tossing the boss aspect is just plain fun. “I want to hear Brian scream as he goes bungee jumping,” Snowden-Richardson says. “I am still trying to convince him to jump if we get enough funds, though!”

Donations for the Christie Lab’s Toss the Boss campaign can be made on the team page. Snowden-Richardson has made some neuro-themed stickers for the team to sell by donation (see photos below; $5 each recommended). To purchase stickers, email tsnowden@uvic.ca to arrange payment and pickup. Sticker donations can be made directly through the team page, cash, or e-transfer. 

Of course, just to make things interesting, Dr. Christie has made a deal with his lab members: if he matches their final donation amount, he gets to skip the bungee jump vs. chicken dance choice all together and toss Snowden-Richardson off the bridge instead. 

"Unfortunately, that is true," she says. "I am trying to raise a lot of money so that he is less likely to match it!"