David Sheppard and Travis Price’s decided they couldn’t stand by while students teased their friend for wearing a pink shirt to school. They distributed pink shirts to all the boys in their high school, and everyone wore those shirts on the same day as a statement against bullying. That was the birth of the Pink Shirt Day movement. Since its beginning in 2007 it has spread across the country and in Western Canada has raised more than $1,800,000 to support anti-bullying programs.
On February 28, The Wexford residents took their stand against bullying by wearing pink and educating themselves about this year’s Pink Shirt Day emphasis, cyber-bullying. They weren’t content to just talk — the residents raised $604 to help fun anti-bullying programs in local schools.
One in five children in Canadian schools is affected by bullying according to the Pink Shirt Day website, and that’s not acceptable. “Our residents are very compassionate towards issues that kids face today,” says Recreation Director Diane James. “They recognize that children face a lot of issues today that they have never faced.”
Bullying is an issue that extends beyond the schoolyard. When generations stand for each other, we build a healthy community in which we can all live and flourish.
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