On Thursday, 19 May 2016, the MGCI Cancer Society hosted a bake sale at lunch in the cafeteria to raise money, and support, for the fight against cancer. They set up along the side of the cafeteria, and had cookies, cupcakes, muffins, and samosas for students to purchase.
Marc Garneau’s Cancer Society chapter set up a bake sale in the galleria to raise money and awareness.
Aside from the food, the club also asked students to donate money in exchange for a daffodil. The recommended donation price was $1, but students were free to give any amount. The Canadian Cancer Society typically devotes April as daffodil month, selling bright yellow flowers to raise awareness for cancer research. Due to complications in logistics, the MGCI chapter was not able to receive the flowers until late April. They decided to push back the daffodil sales until May.
Cancer Awareness Week is a substitute for Relay for Life, something that the club has run in the past two years. Relay for Life is generally a 12-hour long event in which students participate in various activities, fundraisers, and games. However, the length of the event requires students to either stay overnight, or have to miss class. Due to constraints on the number of volunteers available, Relay for Life was not a feasible event to plan this year. In place of Relay, the club planned Cancer Awareness Week.
Originally, Marc Garneau’s Cancer Society had prepared a three-day long event called “Cancer Awareness Week”. On top of the bake sale, members planned to have a large mural up for students to sign. Signing this mural would symbolize the student’s support for the Canadian Cancer Society, and would be used to help improve the morale of cancer patients across the country. Additionally, the club planned to walk around the school with a whiteboard, and have students write encouraging messages to cancer patients. Photos of the messages would decorate the pledge mural, in an increased effort to get students involved.
Unfortunately, there was a great deal of confusion among club members, and the Cancer Society was forced to only host the bake sale. The club has now rescheduled the mural and the photobooth activities to take place in June.
