CALGARY -- Hundreds of students showed their bravery at Samuel W. Shaw School in southwest Calgary on Thursday morning.
The Big Brave — formerly known as Shave Your Lid for a Kid — is one of Kids Cancer Care’s largest fundraising initiatives and staff, students and parents at the school have so far raised more than $20,000 for the cause.
Phill Noel, a Grade 9 teacher who helped organize the event, says he’s blown away by the amount of support.
"We have over 20 per cent of our school involved in doing this today, if anything we’ve had a lot of kids over the last couple days wanting to join in because they want to be a part of it," he said.
"This is the thing to do right now, which is amazing."
Grade 9 student Tyson Lynes lost his aunt, Shannon, to cancer just one year ago and remembers her fondly.
"My auntie and I, we used to go camping a lot and she would show us how to do all these kinds of things and tell stories," he said. "She was just a great person to be around."
Tyson says it means a lot to him to be able to pay homage to her by helping out with the charity.
"It just a way of showing my support and really, I'm proud to be doing it and I'm proud I could be a huge part of this," he said.
Kimberly Udy from Kids Cancer Care says in light of the struggling economy, The Big Brave is a vital component in raising the necessary funds to support families battling cancer.
"All of us know someone that's been affected by cancer, but when you think of a child going through it and you can’t explain it and they’re going through all these life changes, it's just a little more important for us to stand by them."
Donations are still being accepted, and can be made online.
