By Renee Wood
Yarra Glen Primary School has led the town in a campaign to support local breast cancer patients.
The school joined the McGrath Foundation’s Pink Up October campaign in order to support school families who’re currently going through treatment.
The senior students took leadership and visited local school businesses with the school’s supervision to ask them to join the cause.
Grade six student Maddy said she enjoyed handing out the flyers and being a leader within the project.
“That fact we had the honour and everyone trusted us to be able to go out and walk around town, and have the responsibility that we had to take on the role,” Maddy said.
Grade six student Addi also spoke with businesses and was thrilled to see so many come on board.
“The walk around town I think was really good because of all the flyers, and the companies that actually got involved in what to do and how to help,” Addi said.
Not long after the students visited, shop fronts were decorated pink and local businesses donated prizes for the raffle to raise funds for the McGrath Foundation to support breast care nurses.
One of the school parents who’s currently going through treatment also conducted presentations to classrooms to explain to students further about the disease and the treatment.
Grade four student Mason said the students learnt a lot during the campaign and previous to this he thought it was a bit of ‘myth’ because he didn’t know much about it.
The pink free dress day with a gold coin donation was another part he enjoyed.
“I thought it was pretty cool to see everyone in pink clothes,” Mason said.
Mason’s mum who’s with the Yarra Glen CFA brought in an appliance on the day where it was decorated in pink hands by the students.
Pink ribbons on the fences and artworks were in abundance with the raffle, free dress day and business donations raising $3,173.90.
Wellbeing coordinator Jess Amey said it was a great opportunity for the school to be part of something as a collective and to support the families who’re currently going through it at home.
“We do have children who attend the school who are directly affected by breast cancer with a parent going through treatment having a diagnosis right now,” Ms Amey said.
“Yarra Glen is a tight knit community, so it made sense to jump on board with that and get as much community involvement as we could.”
