Renewed efforts for Denim Day

For more than a decade, the university has been participating in National Denim Day, an initiative of the Cure Foundation to raise funds for research into breast cancer, and to raise awareness across Canada.

The annual event, held on the Tuesday after Mother’s Day, encourages organizations to allow their employees to wear jeans to work in exchange for a minimum $5 donation.

Approximately $25,000 has been raised at Concordia since the inaugural event in 1998; however, organizer Ann McLaughlin has noticed a drop in donations in recent years, which she attributes to so many other charities vying for fewer available dollars. ”People can become immune to causes over time, so I decided to become more proactive.” She and co-organizer Donna Cooper put their heads together to improve on last year.

Organizers Ann McLaughlin and Donna Cooper are pleased with this year’s Denim Day success. | Photos courtesy of Ann McLaughlin

And their efforts paid off. With the addition of two bake sales and a team of volunteers selling pink ribbons (along with the right to wear jeans that day) across both campuses, $2,860 was raised on May 10, 2011,  $900 more than last year.

Nadia Signorino held a bake sale with the support of her colleagues from the School of Extended Learning while McLaughlin organized one with her colleagues in Counselling and Development, and Nancy Curran (Hospitality Concordia) and Health Service arranged to have two nurses on hand to answer health-related questions. All of the organizers appreciated the support of volunteers in the campaign.

According to statistics from the Canadian Cancer Society, 23,200 new cases of breast cancer in women and 180 new cases in men were diagnosed in 2010. Of these, 5,350 were fatal. Visit the Cure Foundation website for more information on how the funds are used.

The staff at the School of Extended Learning held a bake sale to benefit the Cure Foundation on May 10, 2011.

Related links:
•  Cure Foundation
•  Concordia’s Health Services