Local students made a bold statement in support of children with cancer.
Students and staff at École Beausoleil, a Francophone school in Okotoks, took part in Kids Cancer Care's Rock Your Locks campaign on Nov. 15 by shaving or colouring their hair.
"I don't want my students to just raise money, I want them to do something significant that will help them understand what they're doing and what they're doing that for," said principal Martin Camirand, who also got his head shaved.
The hair will be going to children that have lost theirs due to cancer, a cause that Grade 7 student Daphne Rousseau-Albert, 12, was more than happy to support.
"Little kids, they don't get very lucky with cancer and sometimes it can be deadly," she said. "Just changing the look on their face, putting a smile on their face can change not only the kid's life, but can make the whole family happy and they can feel themselves again."
Rousseau-Albert was one of 35 students and staff to take part in the event, and the only girl to get her head shaved.
"I decided to be a part of it because I have a lot of sympathy for kids who have cancer," she said. "It was for a good cause, so I don't care what people say."
The school's fundraiser has so far raised $5,000, well over its $2,000 goal.
"We doubled, almost tripled what we were looking to get, so that was very impressive to achieve," said Camirand. "I'm kind of shocked. I didn't expect that at all, so that was pretty cool to see."
The school's fundraiser is still accepting donations here.
Learn more about Kids Cancer Care's Rock Your Locks campaign here.
École Beausoleil is no stranger to youth philanthropy. In February, 11 students spent 24 hours outdoors to raise awareness on homelessness and funds for the Okotoks Food Bank.
