Pink Ribbon Day, an annual event held to raise awareness about women’s breast cancer, was celebrated this year by the Marist Catholic College in Penshurst to not only raise awareness but bind the school together.
This is the fourth year the traditionally all-boys college participated in the event. After a recent co-educational change, Pink Ribbon Day has been a fantastic opportunity to foster community and respect between male and female students.
“Pink Ribbon Day has assisted with the introduction of girls attending the school,” said Nicole Katrib, a teacher at the college.
“Initially the college was all-boys so events like Pink Ribbon Day have been a good way of integrating girls into the college and raising awareness of their struggles.”
The events during the day included ‘pink stumps’, a game of cricket at lunch time inspired by the McGrath Foundation, founded by cricketer Glenn McGrath who lost his first wife to breast cancer in 2008.
In the evening, the college hosted a special Girls’ Night In; an evening event focused on the female students with activities and raffles as well as refreshments including pizza and a ‘pink themed’ dessert buffet table.
“We had about 100 girls attending the evening events basically to raise awareness for women’s health through prevention strategies around breast cancer,” Nicole said.
“The schoolgirls came together to have loads of fun participating in a lot of activities such as karaoke, a nail salon and a makeup artist. We also raised funds for the Breast Cancer Association.”
Breast cancer, currently the leading cause of cancer in women worldwide, is the main focus of Pink Ribbon Day awareness. The cancer accounts for 25 per cent of all cancer cases in women worldwide and in Australia, affecting approximately 19,000 women annually.
Members of the local community helped with the donation of prizes for various raffles and games.
“Our local community put in some amazing prizes and vouchers to assist to mega-raffle,” Nicole said.
“Last we raised $4500 and this year we expect to raise a similar amount.”
For more information about Pink Ribbon Day visit the website at https://www.cancercouncilfundraising.com.au/pink-ribbon