Every seven minutes someone is bullied on a playground in Canada (www.bullying.org). A University of Guelph Bullying Study found that 50 per cent of Canadian school children report being bullied, with 45 per cent of surveyed children feeling unsafe when they go to school. Bullying is demoralizing, lowers self-esteem and has led to shootings and suicides in Canada. Bullying happens in many different forms but its purpose is to make someone else feel bad on purpose. Through awareness and education Canadians can continue to take a stand against bullying.
Canadian retailer, London Drugs, is proud to be the official retail partner for the popular Pink Shirt Day campaign in support of Boys and Girls Clubs’ anti-bullying programs. In its seventh year of participation, London Drugs continues to build awareness of this powerful campaign as the exclusive retailer for the official pink shirts.
Pink Shirt Day will be celebrated on February 25 this year, and thousands of Canadians are once again expected to turn schools and businesses into a sea of pink to make some noise against bullying.
"At Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary, we believe that no child or youth should ever be made to feel less than about themselves. We take incredible pride in the fact that London Drugs shares our values and wants to support and advocate for each and every last one of our kids," says Cheryl Doherty, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary’s CEO. "The contributions from the sales of the official Pink Shirt Day shirts go to our anti-bullying programs and help our community to stand in solidarity with our kids and say ENOUGH."
The 2015 pink shirt proclaims ‘This Pink Shirt Says Enough’ and is now available at all 79 London Drugs locations, as well as online at www.pinkshirtday.ca. The shirts are available in both adult and youth sizes ranging from small to XXL.
The shirts are available for $9.80 plus applicable taxes with net proceeds supporting CKNW Orphan’s Fund who will distribute funds to Boys and Girls Clubs across Western Canada.
Over the past six years, London Drugs has raised more than $500,000 for Boys and Girls Clubs in Western Canada through the Pink Shirt Day campaign. In 2014, supporters of the campaign purchased over 18,000 Pink Shirt Day t-shirts from London Drugs.
Youth and organizations continue to support Pink Shirt Day following the stand of two grade 12 Nova Scotia students In 2007. The students took action after witnessing a grade 9 student being bullied for wearing pink to school and encouraged their schoolmates to wear pink to send a message against bullying. Since then wearing pink shirts has sent a powerful message that Bullying Stops Here.
