Saint Vincent Elementary School needs your help

But as modest as the organization may be in its ambitions, it is instrumental in savings lives and helping those affected by the illness to cope more effectively with its ramifications.

Partners with the Cure Foundation in the priceless work it does are the schools of the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, who participate in the foundation's work through an annual campaign related to The Cure Foundation’s National Denim Day.

This major initiative is one of the foundation's two annual events to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer. This year's National Denim Day, which will be held in mid-May 2007 will be enriched by the participation of Saint Vincent Elementary School in east-end Laval.

"Although it is a small school community of only about 160 students and about 20 adults," teachers, students and administrators have set an ambitious goal of raising at least $5000 for the cause," says the Cure Foundation's spokesperson, Susan O'keefe.

"To help do this," Mrs. O'Keefe explains, "physical education teacher Véronique Bond has offered to have her head shaved at a public event on Tuesday, May 15 or Wednesday16."

To add some very special touches to this generous gesture on Mrs. Bond's part, the school will hold an assembly where all the teachers will come in jeans, pink tops and pink hair or pink streaks in their hair and the principal, Ms. Gaëlle Absolonne will do the honours of shaving the teacher's hair.

"We're very gratified to welcome Saint Vincent Elementary School to the list of schools of the Laurier Board who have provided lots of generous help over the years," Mrs. O'Keefe told Courrier Laval Weekly News, adding that the school's involvement was particularly significant because the east-end school is not even a year old yet, having opened its doors only last September.

Saint Vincent Elementary School principal Gaëlle Absolonne views this fund-raising initiative as indicative of the commitment made by parents to the school and its efforts to reach-out to the community. In a letter to parents, Mrs. Absolonne expresses thanks and appreciation for their support and contribution to this valuable cause. "Your generosity and dedication are part of what makes the Saint Vincent Community special," she tells the parents in her concluding remarks.

"As motivation is very important in these projects, we're going to encourage the young people by keeping track of their progress in three locations throughout the school," Mrs. Absolonne states.

The youngsters will be able to watch the funds grow on three large thermometers to be filled weekly as the total grows. "We want these young people to see their week-to-week achievements and realize that they are part of a generous community of caring people," the principal emphasizes.

Caring people, for sure, if one were to judge by the community's response on the very first day of counting pledges. "The children brought in pledges totaling just under $3000," Mrs. Absolonne specified, adding that this was a terrific way to kick off the month of pledge-collecting.

And generous indeed, as undeniably proved by the gesture of one of Saint Vincent's older students who has offered to shave her own head, in support of her mother, when the $5000 goal has been reached.

"A special touch," Mrs. Absolonne says, "and one that shows that although this is a large undertaking for a small school like ours, we are confident that the Saint Vincent Elementary School Community will rise to the challenge."

$3000 for the first day. Quite the response to the challenge, to say the least.

Administered by the Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board, Saint Vincent Elementary School is located at 4881 rue St-Jacques, St-Vincent- de-Paul, Laval (Qc) H7C 1G6. It can be reached by phone at (450) 680-3055, or by fax at (450) 665-6896.

(Photo: Martin Alarie)