Thank you for supporting the Orange Shirt Day fundraiser at Sunnybrook Gift Shop

Thank you to all those who purchased an orange shirt via the Sunnybrook Gift Shop Orange Shirt Day fundraiser. More than 420 shirts were sold.

The orange shirts were designed last year by members of the Dan Women’s and Babies NICU team.

Proceeds from the sale of these shirts — $5549.58 — will be donated to Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, a community organization that provides counselling, material assistance and other direct services to First Nations people in Toronto as well as to encourage and enhance spiritual and personal growth.

Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day took place on September 30.

Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day that honours the children who survived residential schools and remembers those who did not. This day relates to the experience of Phyllis Webstad, a Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem'c Xgat'tem First Nation, on her first day of school, where she arrived dressed in a new orange shirt, which was taken from her. It is now a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a day to acknowledge the stolen children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities. It's a time to reflect on the legacy of residential schools in Canada and to consider our individual and collective responsibility to Reconciliation.

Thank you to everyone for their support of this fundraiser.