Sarah Schmidt shows her donated hair at the Global BC studios.
Canyon Heights’ student Sarah Schmidt lost 11 inches of
hair and gained almost $2,000 – all in the name of charity.
Three years ago, Sarah started seriously growing her
hair, knowing those blond locks could help boost the spirits of a young person
battling a serious illness.
Wigs for Kids B.C. is a volunteer program, out of BC
Children's Hospital, that provides free human-hair wigs for children who have
lost their hair due to cancer or other serious illnesses.
To help raise awareness for the cause, Sarah asked her
teacher, Anita Pathak-Fox, about making a presentation to her Grade 6
classmates. Ms. Pathak-Fox was most supportive of the idea.
“I think it's the Power of One,” says Ms. Pathak-Fox. “It
is one student who brought this idea and passion to other students in her
class. This touched the students and they all wanted to help. This is the
perfect example of how one person can make a difference.”
After hearing Sarah’s story, the students discussed ways
they could raise money at Canyon Heights to support Wigs for Kids. The idea
of a treat sale was born.
Sarah made posters to advertise the bake sale, and emails
were sent to parents and teachers to notify them of the fundraiser. School
district trustee Kulvir Mann also got involved, inviting the North Vancouver
RCMP and local Cops for Cancer representatives.

On the day of the fundraiser, Oct. 24, every student in
Division 3 at Canyon Heights brought treats to be sold.
Decorative cookies, squares and doughnuts were put on display in the multi-purpose room, for students and staff
to purchase throughout the morning. Local police officers also stopped by and
made generous donations.
All the treats evaporated.

The following morning, on live TV, Sarah had 11 inches of
her hair cut – as part of the annual Global BC Hair Donation Day and in support
of the Canadian Cancer Society and Wigs for Kids.
Through donations to her fundraising page and the school bake
sale, Sarah raised close to $2,000 for the Wigs for Kids organization.
“I feel proud of the money and awareness that was raised
at our school,” says Sarah. “I was also very touched with all of the help and
support I received from my teacher, classmates and Mrs. Kulvir Mann.”