Chemainus Secondary blew past its $2,500 fundraising goal for the Terry Fox School Run on Sept. 19, raising more than $5,000 for cancer research.
The campaign included a now-annual promise from PE teacher Casey Parsons to shave his head if the goal was met. Students reached it by Day 2.
And this year, Parsons wasn’t the only one putting hair on the line.
Students were told they could also pledge to shave their heads to help boost donations. Two students took the plunge: Grade 12 student Caiden Wilson, and Grade 7 student Lexi Duncan.
Duncan raised more than $300. She memorized a short script and went door to door in her Crofton neighbourhood, letting people know she planned to shave her head the next day if the school’s fundraising goal was met, and asking if they wanted to contribute.
Duncan also donated her long hair to be made into wigs for cancer survivors who lost theirs during chemotherapy.
Students who raised the most were awarded custom T-shirts featuring Mr. Parsons’s face, complete with his signature shaved head.
The school’s head secretary, Shelley Somerset, was amazed by the students’ fundraising efforts.
“As of yesterday, our total was around $3,700. I have already had about $1,500 come into my possession this morning and we're still collecting,” she said. “So I'm really excited for us because this is year three and a half for me and in my time we have never gotten even close to that.”
With $5,000 raised, it was the school’s most successful Terry Fox Run to date, and a clear show of how students can turn small gestures into real impact.
