The Mr. Ripon Contest is a comedic event put on by the Applied Communication Class. The whole idea of the event is to raise as much money as possible for Huntington's Disease Society of America, a non-profit organization that supports victims of Huntington's Disease (HD) and their families. HD is an absolutely devastating disease, which is genetic and has absolutely no cure thus far. Victims of HD eventually lose control of their motor skills and are dependent on others for simple tasks like eating and walking. I invite you to learn more about HD at hdsa.org.
 

So, even though Huntington's Disease is such a depressing topic, the Applied Communication Class puts on this show every year to raise as much money and awareness as possible by having a comedic, pageant-like event. Previous contestants have ranged from students, staff, faculty and community members. Our goal for this year is to have ten students compete, along with 3-5 community members, for the title and crown.
 

The contest for this year will be Thursday, November 17th at 7:00 p.m in Great Hall. The night of the event, contestants will compete in swimwear, formalwear, talent (of your choice) and HD-knowledge (mini-interview) categories. The first three categories are all humorous, and contestants are encouraged to be creative and charismatic in order to gain points from the judges. The final category is to raise awareness about the cause and remind everyone why they're at the event.
 

With regard to the cause and purpose of the event, each contestant will be required to raise at least $50 in order to compete on November 17th. In the end, our goal is to raise $10,000 for HDSA. With your dedication, we believe this is an attainable goal.