The cold, wet weather on Friday 19 May might have postponed the Primary Athletics Carnival, but it created perfect conditions for Year 10 student Lucinda Palmer’s campaign as part of the College’s Casual Dress for a Cause day.
Casual Dress for a Cause is an initiative where the College invites students to propose and then champion a chosen charity with a fundraising campaign within the student and staff community. Twice a year the Secondary campus schedules ‘Casual Dress for a Cause’ days to follow a Secondary campus Assembly, where a student can nominate to speak on behalf of a charity which then becomes the beneficiary of the gold coin donations given for casual dress on Friday.
In the first of these events for 2017, Lucinda gave a heartfelt and moving presentation in front of 850 students and staff at the Assembly on Wednesday 17 May. She shared how her father’s remarriage plans were rocked by her soon-to-be stepmother’s diagnosis on the eve of their wedding, and the family’s struggle with ovarian cancer, which currently claims more than two thirds of its victims. Isabelle then asked students and staff to wear hoodies and track-pants on Friday in support, and to donate a gold coin, with all proceeds going to Ovarian Cancer Australia.
Two days later, the response was overwhelming. More than 95% of Secondary students actively supported the initiative, and homerooms collected over $1,300 from suitably rugged up students. Students even brought in their own savings to contribute to the cause.
As the rain poured down at lunchtime on Friday, Lucinda was pleased with the success of her efforts, while students and staff were kept warm by their generosity and their fleece-lined slouchies in equal measure.
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