A marching band, confetti poppers and pom poms marked the end of a successful Cops for Cancer fundraising campaign at Oak Bay High.
The school community gathered Thursday (Oct. 5) morning to reveal their final tally in a campaign that kicked off in late summer and included a car wash, bottle drive, general canvassing, silent auction and a spirited day at school with haircuts and pies to the face.
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After Tour de Rock riders rolled in to fanfare, the campaign leadership team thanked their peers, teachers and wider community in helping to raise $25,591.
The Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock is a 14-day fundraising initiative that kicked off in Port Alice on Sept. 23 with a team of law enforcement, emergency services personnel and media cycling across the Island to raise money for childhood cancer research and initiatives such as Camp Goodtimes. Each year, the team engages communities along the Island route and has raised $28 million since 1998.
During this year’s reveal in Oak Bay, students got to hear where some of that cash helps, from Gill Anderson, program director at Camp Goodtimes.
“For two months every summer we invite children, teens and their families to come to camp for an authentic camp experience in a medically supported environment and that means we get to support the entire family because a cancer diagnosis really does impact everybody. So for 35 years, this longstanding program has been providing this experience for the entire family,” she said.
Principal Shawn Boulding accepted a plaque on behalf of the school from the Tour de Rock team.
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“Twenty-two years this school has been behind this and I can’t think of a greater cause,” he told his students gathered in the big gym. “Whether you’re in Grade 12 and this is your fourth year … or you’re Grade 9 and new to us, this is such an important cause not only because of the initiatives you just heard about but also bringing us together as a community and I could not be more proud. Today is a highlight for me and I hope it is for you and I hope this just resonates with you next year as we move this thing even further ahead.”
Tour de Rock ends with a finale at the legislative building, 501 Belleville St. in Victoria on Oct. 6.
For more information, visit tourderock.ca.
