Solutions Services in Sexsmith will be going pink for a good cause on Wednesday as part of Pink Shirt Day. In its 13th year, Pink Shirt Day is marked around the globe to raise anti-bullying awareness after a student in Nova Scotia was bullied for wearing a pink shirt in 2008.
To do their part, the staff at Solutions Services will dye their hair pink to raise funds to support youth mental health initiatives in Alberta. AP Administrator Pam Stack says she initially brought up with the idea as a shot in the dark, and it snowballed.
“I brought it up to the general manager jokingly, and he said, ‘yea I’ll dye my hair pink’, and it kind of blew up from there,” she laughs.” “I was kind of shocked but we definitely have a lot of people on board,” she adds.
The hairstyle change will also go hand in hand with a fundraiser for the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation. Stack says all the proceeds will go towards youth mental health, noting the COVID-19 pandemic has added extra stress.
“So many kids are struggling with anxiety, and things like that, so this will absolutely help them out. I have a granddaughter who is struggling with some severe anxiety, so this is super important to me.”
Donations to the cause can be made via the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation website, or the Solution Services Facebook page.