It was an exciting weekend for St. Thomas University as the hockey and volleyball teams held home games in support of the Think Pink weekend, aiming to foster cancer awareness and raise funds for the Oncology Department at Horizon Health Network’s Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton.
At the forefront of the cause stands the Stay Strong program, a 12-week journey for cancer survivors led by the oncology department. Participants are offered tailored fitness sessions, specialized yoga instruction and insightful workshops covering various aspects of living with cancer.
“Receiving a cancer diagnosis can be scary and isolating, so the program also serves as an introduction to peers who can relate and support one other,” said Erin Pelerine, the director of communications at Chalmers.
The program has a staff consisting of only six people and this is why they heavily rely on community partnerships and volunteers.
“The Stay Strong program is fully funded by donations, so events like Think Pink are crucial to the success of this program,” said Pelerine.
Moreover, she emphasized the broad impact of the Think Pink weekend and community involvement. Without donations, the program would not be able to operate.
“When people hear of a hospital foundation, they may not realize that programs like Stay Strong are included in our fundraising,” she said. “Our staff and volunteers had a great time attending all the different games and the bake sale.”
Pelerine gave a special nod of thanks to Eric Moffatt, marketing and events coordinator with the STU Athletics department. Overall, the STU community raised over $2,000 for the Think Pink initiative.
“We’re so grateful for community partnerships like STUSAC. These partnerships help raise awareness of the Chalmers Foundation and all the things we fundraise for,” said Pelerine.
Cassidy Gordon, an executive member of the STU Student-Athlete Council (STUSAC), took charge of leading a successful bake sale to raise funds for Chalmers during the week leading up to the Think Pink games. The sale featured no fixed prices, allowing supporters to contribute as generously as they’d like.
“We had a lot of generous donations from people who didn’t even want a baked good,” remarked Gordon. “They would just contribute money or they’d contribute a lot more than what maybe our baked goods would be worth.”
She believes the bake sale was a good way of encouraging people to come to support the games, but also help those who couldn’t make it to contribute at least in some way to raising funds for Chalmers. Additionally, there was a positive response from fans about the new pink hoodies that were on sale during the event.
Men’s volleyball captain Raph Fiset also believes the Think Pink games are a hit with both the athletes and the fans pledging support for the event.
“From what I heard, we had a good financial outcome of our bake sake, the 50/50s, the sweatshirts. I think attendance at the games was a huge hit,” said Fiset. “I think it’s really important and it’s a good look on St. Thomas University as a whole, being able to support our local community.”
Through collective action and unwavering support, STU and its community stand united, exemplifying the power of solidarity and compassion in the fight against cancer.
