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Pond Inlet residents get ready to take part in the Terry Fox Run last year. This year, Nasivvik High School teacher Tess Thurber is cutting her hair to raise money for the cause and the students and other teachers are giving her support. - photo courtesy of Tess Thurber |
Sacrificing hair for a cause Pond Inlet resident's fundraiser for cancer research is a cut above the rest
Myles Dolphin
Northern News Services
Published Monday, September 9, 2013
MITTIMATALIK/POND INLET
A Pond Inlet woman is willing to part ways with her locks by selling them in order to raise funds for cancer research.
Tess Thurber, a teacher at Nasivvik High School, moved to the community last year and is taking part in this year's Terry Fox Run.
She said she has always wanted to raise funds by cutting her hair but had never had the courage to follow through, until now.
"I really wanted a way to encourage the students to raise more money and be more involved in the event," she said.
"I can remember being involved in the Terry Fox Run as a young student and I think it continues to be a very inspiring event across Canada. I am hoping that this additional bit of involvement will help make the experience even more memorable and exciting for the students," she said.
In order to raise funds, Thurber - who is "pretty attached" to her hair - told students she would cut two inches off for every $100 raised.
"My hair has never been shorter than shoulder length," she said.
"But I put monetary value on it so I guess it's not invaluable to me. I want to raise as much as possible, even if it means getting a bald head for the winter!"
While her hair is currently 38 to 41 cm in length, she keeps telling her students that a 'toonie' each would raise about $400. She hopes to get at least that much money.
The entire Nasivvik School is joining in to raise funds for the cause, too, just like they did last year.
As with millions of other Canadians, Thurber's life has been impacted by cancer. She has had several relatives and friends suffer from cancer. Some have survived their battles while others have not.
Thurber believes cancer is an illness that touches the lives of many people and she would love to live in a world where the news of a cancer diagnosis isn't scary anymore.
This year, the school decided to ask the rest of the community to take part in the run with them. As a result, the route has been changed slightly.
"We used to run to the dump and back, which was approximately five kilometres," said Nasivvik teacher Ian Snider.
"This year, there is a set route through town because we wanted the community to take part with us. It's probably three kilometres in total."
To date, more than $600 million has been raised worldwide for cancer research in Terry's name, states the Terry Fox Foundation website.
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