The uniform at Shawnigan Lake School usually consists of business attire and tidy classroom dress, but a few times over the past month we have suited up in running shoes and specially designed t-shirts to put our full support behind many fundraising initiatives for the Canadian Cancer Society.

The wave of support started with the annual Terry Fox run around campus and the traditional passing back of the Terry Fox jersey. The shirt starts with an appointed lead runner and moves steadily through each participant, ending in the hands of the final runner over the finish line; symbolically uniting our School community in the fight against cancer.

The next surge in our efforts consisted of more than 230 Shawnigan students and staff lacing up their runners to race, run, jog, walk and stroll in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation at the Run for the Cure in downtown Victoria.

The crest of support peaked when Cops for Cancer rolled onto campus at 9:33 am on October 5th. The 23 bikers pedaling across Vancouver Island to support children with cancer were greeted by the entire school in their new "word shirts", which were sold to support the cause. This year's word was defined by Shawnigan alum and long-time, inspiring English teacher Jay Connolly, "Create: to bring (something) into existence: as in art, as in hope, as in love. To cause (something) to happen as a result of one's actions; their commitment created new possibilities."

In each individual way, we were all part of a quest to create something positive in the fight against cancer. Each stride taken on the long run is a step towards a cure. Each t-shirt sold is a research opportunity born. Each dollar donated in bake sales is another child at Camp Good Times and each head shaved is a generous donation to fundraising, generating positive energy and laughter. Thank you to everyone, who supported this worthy cause and for creating hope in our lives.