October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month and this year the Carihi Senior Leadership class decided to take part in the campaign that started Oct. 1 and went until the end of the month.
Traditionally, the month of October is a busy time at Carihi with Thanksgiving and Halloween activities, however the school felt it was important to take the time to spread awareness about this very important issue.
“Breast cancer and all types of cancer touch a lot of people’s families,” said Callie Ann Massee, grade 12 Senior Leadership student. “I think it has affected a lot of people in the school and it’s good to spread awareness of what some people are going through.”
In September, Massee proposed the idea to support the cause in front of her Senior Leadership class. She said they were enthusiastic about the idea and split into different committees to plan various themed activities for the entire month of October.
The activities were centred around educating students about the disease and helping them become aware of the cause.
“We started off with a ‘Wear Pink Day’ to spread awareness,” Massee said. “We also had a pink themed bake sale and sold pink ribbons at lunch.”
The bake sale, which was held on Thursday, Oct. 20 raised over $140 for Breast Cancer research. Information posters were on display and brochures were available to further educate students on the matter.
The Leadership class also set up a memory wall for students to dedicate a ribbon to a loved one who is fighting cancer, or who has beat or lost the battle. This was important for Massee as cancer has directly impacted her family. She has lost three grandparents to cancer and her grandfather is currently battling the disease.
Massee knows she is not alone as many other Carihi students have suffered with the hardships that cancer brings, including a classmate of Massee’s whose mother recently lost the battle.
“It was a really successful event and hopefully students are now more aware that breast cancer and all types of cancer touch everyone,” Massee said. “I also hope they can be supportive to survivors and people who are still fighting.”