“It’s great to see all the yellow hats in the audience,” said Geoff Eaton to the assembly of students, teachers, past Shavers, sponsors, media, and invited guests at the 2013 Shave for the Brave launch event at Villanova Junior High today.
The event was the first of its kind, but we have big plans for the 2013 Shave season, and as Eaton said, we wanted to “shake it up and do something bigger” to recognize them.
Barry Jenkins, principal of Villanova, has seen many amazing Shave events happen at the school. They were the Bravest School in 2010, took home the title of Top Fundraising School in NL for 2010 and 2011, and still made the podium in 2012 as the 2nd Place Fundraising School in Canada.
Jenkins took a moment to recognize Zach Gaudet, a former student who had the idea to Shave at the school in the first place, and Darlene Moulton, the teacher who made it happen; Riley, a student who faced his own cancer challenge recently, and students who dealt with cancer in the school before him; and all the Shavers–past and present–who were in attendance today. Villanova always blows us away with how spirited their Mane Mamas can be, how supportive their community is, and how willing they are to help young adults dealing with cancer in Canada.
Kirk Smith, principal of Hazelwood Elementary, the reigning Bravest School, spoke to the crowd about the impact the Shave for the Brave has had in his school for the past two years. He said he never really thought about signing the school up for the event until one student started asking him if they would sign up every day. Finally, encouraged by the feedback he heard from his wife who teaches at Villanova, he said yes.
“[Villanova] had a huge impact on why we decided to Shave,” said Smith. “I didn’t realize when we did it how much of an impact it would have on me, the staff, and the students.”
He says Hazelwood is ready to defend their title this year, both provincially and nationally, and they are challenging all schools across the country to beat them and their goal to have over 100 heads Shaved in 2013.
Next, Ian Davidson helped put a face to the Brave as he spoke about the impact YACC made on his family as his wife, Janice, dealt with two separate cancer diagnoses. The Davidsons had three small children when Janice was first diagnosed. A year and a half after her first challenge, she was diagnosed again.
“The second time was really hard–it’s hard to even talk about, but I can, because of YACC,” he said.
They attended Retreat Yourself Adventure this past August and were also at the recent Survivor Conference in Toronto. Davidson’s appreciation for these events was evident as he showed pictures and talked about some of the other young adults they were able to connect with because of the support from people like those Shavers, sponsors, and volunteers in the room.
Finally, Eaton came back to the stage for the moment we were all waiting for. Those who hadn’t seen the new branding wanted to know what was behind the curtain, and we were waiting to see what their reaction would be to a proudly Shaved lion.
Audible “wows” and hushed discussions took over the room for a few seconds before a round of applause broke out.
“I think it’s really creative; I really like it,” said one female student.
“It’s pretty cool; I can’t wait to do it again this year,” said a male student.
His friend followed up with, “It’s the best in the world!”
Eaton said the lion is intended to “elevate the brave ones with a sense of pride and a sense of honour,” and that means those both in the cancer community and the Shave community.
So, this year, we’re challenging YOU to help us reach our biggest goals yet. We want to Shave 2,500 heads from the eastern tip of Newfoundland and Labrador to the westernmost edge of British Columbia. We want to raise $1 Million. And, we want to help more young adults dealing with cancer than ever before.
