NRCan Employees Shave Heads for Charity
July 11, 2008
In Sherbrooke, CTI-S employees Mark Laguë (front), Diane Drolet (left) and Robert Chauvette (rear).
Sherbrooke and Québec City - There is a dramatic new aerial view of heads in NRCan's Québec Region.
NRCan employees with the Earth Sciences Sector based in Sherbrooke and Québec City have embraced the Leucan Shaved Head Challenge 2008 to help cancer-stricken children.
Six employees from the Centre for Topographic Information Sherbrooke (CTI-S) and another from the Geological Survey of Canada's publications distribution centre in Québec City took up the challenge. They joined a record 7,300 people across Québec who had their heads shaved to raise money for the cause.
In Sherbrooke, Robert Chauvette, Diane Drolet, Benoît Dufour, Pierre Gravel, Mark Laguë and Ginette Sabourin raised more than $1,200.
CTI-S employees Benoît Dufour (front) and Pierre Gravel (rear).
"Mark dared me to shave my head if he did it," explains Pierre. "So, not wanting to be called a chicken, I accepted the challenge. More importantly, I did it because the cause is super-important, and I am happy to participate in this public awareness event."
In Québec City, Isabelle Martineau and four co-workers from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) raised $7251. Two of them donated their hair to the Capillary Clinic of Montreal to create wigs for children with cancer.
Founded in 1978, Leucan is an association of parents and healthcare professionals dedicated to the well-being and recovery of children with cancer and to ensuring support for their families. The Shaved Head Challenge raises funds for various Leucan services across the Province of Québec, and shows support for children with cancer. This initiative helps reduce the anxiety children have about losing their hair, helps them accept their treatment and facilitates their reintegration into everyday life.
In Québec City, Isabelle Martineau, Pascale Côté (Assistant to the Director, GSC Québec), Donna Kirkwood (Director, GSC Québec).
The CTI-S employees experienced a visibly dramatic haircut in front of crowds in the middle of Carrefour de l'Estrie, the largest shopping mall in Sherbrooke. In this year's campaign, $152,000 was raised in the community towards a total of $3.8 million donated in 14 regions and 26 locations across Québec.
A Leucan representative at the Québec City event made a point of mentioning the courage of the five volunteers. She noted the importance of this symbolic gesture, which went beyond the funds being raised. Children undergoing cancer treatment find that losing their hair is the hardest part of treatment and consider it worse than the pain and other associated hardships.
Kudos to those who took up the challenge for this important cause!
