Slime for a good cause: San Diego Slimers event on June 22 benefits pancreatic cancer research

If you have a youngster at home, chances are that you are familiar with the phenomenon of slime. Kids are enjoying making their own craft slimes with a mixture of glue, saline solution and baking soda, forming a stretchy (and sometimes sticky) substance.

Local slime specialist Mia Saban, a fifth grader at Solana Pacific Elementary School, is hosting her first San Diego Slimers event on Saturday, June 22 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito’s Polster Branch in Carmel Valley. The event will include vendors selling their unique slime creations, slime materials, a glitter bar, raffle and for a little added fun, karaoke.

“If you love slime, you’ll love this event,” promises Mia, who has had help organizing the event with her best friend and fellow slime devotee Chiara Ammirati, a fifth grader at Del Mar Heights Elementary School.

General admission tickets are $3 and a VIP ticket is $15, which includes access to a VIP room, a slime class, raffle ticket, early entry and a four-ounce slime. Proceeds from the event will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, supporting pancreatic cancer research, the disease that took the life of Chiara’s uncle Phillip Giannikas this year. On June 1, one of Mia’s Girl Scout troop members Reece lost her mother Katie Gutzwiller to pancreatic cancer.

“Friends since birth” Mia and Chiara said they are like sisters and both share a love for slime. Inspired by YouTube videos, they learned how to put their own spin on slimes, determining the best ingredients and the most fun additives to create the perfect snaps, bubbles and crunches.

“It is just so satisfying!” said Chiara of the feel-good effect of playing with slime, known online as ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response).

Mia started a slime account @_very.berry.slime_and has reached over 1,000 followers. Chiara runs @buttery_sweet_slimes, and has customized her own sticker labels and containers for her concoctions. The girls learned how to make videos more appealing using marble backgrounds to show off their creations and make sure their nails are always prettily done when they are demonstrating handling slime and making it snap and bubble. Chaira likes to make sure her signature scrunchies feature in her posts.

The girls are endlessly experimenting—they have made fluffy slime and slime with cupcake layers and slimes with charms. They’ve made batches with various glitters and sparkles, rice, straws and sponges.

“We’ve dedicated half of our lives to slime,” said Chiara

Both admit their parents do not share their enthusiasm for slime. Chiara has converted a desk in her bedroom into a slime-making station and Mia has her own slime room in her family’s garage. In their private labs they come up with “limited editions” like Mermaid Lip Gloss and Dragon Fruit Lemonade—some of those special slimes will be available for purchase at the San Diego Slimers event.

Mia said that planning her own event has been a little harder than she expected but she is hoping to boost ticket sales and have a fun, successful event. She has read about so many slime events in San Diego but none ever were ever held close to home in Carmel Valley.

“I finally get my dream on June 22,” said Mia.

The Boys & Girls Club Polster Branch is located at 3800 Mykonos Lane. Tickets are available at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/san-diego-slimers-tickets-59636184433/amp and will be for sale at the door.