Pink hair for cancer fundraiser
Fundraiser brings in nearly $2,000 for Dress for the Cause
April Hudson
Northern News Services
Thursday, November 3, 2016
LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
True to their word, the organizers behind the Fort Simpson version of fundraiser Dress for the Cause broke out the pink hair dye on Oct. 28 and set to work.
Dan Quevillon, left, went pink on Oct. 28 along with Curtis Groom and Chris Van Dyke. - photo courtesy of Jocelyn McLean
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They had promised that someone's hair would go pink that day if they raised $500. But thanks to donations from the Department of Transportation and the Northern store, they shot past the $500 mark and almost ended up quadrupling their goal.
The tally at the end of the day on Oct. 28 was $1,790 raised for Dress for the Cause, which inspires groups to dress up in celebration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Dan Quevillon, Curtis Groom and Chris Van Dyke were the three lucky men picked to sport pink locks.
In Fort Simpson, the Dehcho Dynamos - a group of women who work for the Department of Education, Culture and Employment - have been raising money for the past four years.
Last year, a crowd of people packed into the Education, Culture and Employment building to watch people get their head shaved to raise money.
Although 2016's event was a more subdued affair, Jocelyn MacLean says the amount raised this year far outstrips last year's $900 total.
MacLean was responsible for getting the fundraiser going four years ago and remains a driving force behind it today.
She says her passion for the event started after she saw a poster for the campaign at the Great Slave Helicopter office.
"I thought, this sounds like fun," she said.
"Let's do it. Let's raise some money."
On Oct. 28, staff from the department were joined by employees of Beauty Mark Salon and its owner,
Troy Bellefontaine, for a lunch potluck at the Education, Culture and Employment building.
This is the second year Beauty Mark Salon has supported the event, dying hair pink and donating prizes for a draw.
Bellefontaine says the fundraiser is an important one for him and hits particularly close to home because he has watched a member of his immediate family struggle with cancer.
"It affects so many people. I don't think there's anybody who doesn't know someone who has had some type of cancer," he said.
"This is obviously something the town supports and we wanted to make it more successful than last year."
Everyone who attended won a prize from the draw, which included gift certificates for Beauty Mark Salon and toys for children, among others.
