Westside Secondary top donor of BCSC’s Dress for the Cause

January 13, 2016 · 0 Comments

The Breast Cancer Society of Canada (BCSC) has announced that Westside Secondary School in Orangeville was the top fundraiser in its 2015 Dress for the Cause campaign.
Dress for the Cause is BCSC’s annual breast cancer awareness month fundraiser that asks businesses, companies and schools to donate to breast cancer research. Since 1998, Dress for the Cause has raised more than $7.5 million for research in Canada.
Westside Secondary has participated in Dress for the Cause since 2005, each year trying to surpass its previous year’s fundraising total. Several Westside faculty members have been impacted by breast cancer, inspiring students and faculty to hold this yearly fundraiser rallying support.
Westside raised $12,056 this year, which is higher than any other company or group in Canada. This brings their cumulative donation total to $96,800.
As the Dress for the Cause top fundraisers in Canada, Westside will be rewarded with a $5,000 donation in their honour to their local cancer treatment center.
“The spirit and commitment shown by Westside Secondary School is absolutely inspiring,” said Kimberly Carson, CEO of BCSC. “For the first time in our history, a group of students has surpassed the contribution of every other business in Canada. The selflessness of Westside’s student body and faculty sets an example for all Canadian donations. We are deeply thankful for Westside’s continued support.”
“We are passionate about hosting our Dress for the Cause event every year, as Breast Cancer has touched many families at Westside,” Westside teacher Christine Kirkland, coordinator of Westside’s Dress for the Cause event, explained. “In what we refer to as Pink Day at our school, there is no greater event that brings together the spirit, hope and generosity of Westside and our community.”
Thanks to gifts from donors like Westside, BCSC will continue to fund patient-focused research that encourages collaboration between treatment physicians and researchers, and truly impacts breast cancer patients. By continually expanding research funding BCSC will be able to support more student researchers and senior scientists across the country.