At lunch time on Oct. 2 and 27, Samantha Shortt will put on her yoga clothes, leave her office in the Student Academic Success Centre and set up a yoga mat in the University Centre Galleria.
It’s not that she has a habit of doing yoga in the university’s highest-traffic spaces — she’s hosting lessons to raise money for this year’s United Way campaign.
“I’m used to teaching all levels and all at once,” she says. “Anybody is welcome to come.”
Shortt is the PASS Co-ordinator at SASC, where she supervises facilitators who hold workshops to help students taking selected courses.
She came up with the idea of holding yoga lessons to raise money when she was looking for way to give back by using her skills.
“I thought it was a great way to get people to have fun,” Shortt explains, adding that she hopes passersby will participate as well.
She says it’s also a way for her to get involved in the Carleton community. Shortt graduated from Carleton in 1994 with a BA in women’s studies and sociology. She later worked in the Registrar’s Office.
In addition to holding the yoga classes, Shortt is organizing a United Way event at the Nov. 7 Ottawa Senators hockey game. Anyone who wants to attend can go to the United Way website at: http://www.carleton.ca/unitedway.
For Shortt, it’s about being able to support an organization that plays such an important role in so many lives.
“I’ve had friends and family who’ve used their services — anybody might need them. They’re integral to making the city work,” she explains. “So many services are not funded enough. I don’t think enough people know that.”
She hopes her contribution helps to change that.
“It will … raise awareness about the United Way and it also might spark an interest in yoga as well.”
