On Saturday, June 9 the North Coast Health Improvement Society (or NCHIS) will once again be holding Bluey Days to help raise money for new equipment at the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.
Traditionally, Bluey Days has been a fundraising event where participants make a fundraising goal and if they meet it they get their heads shaved. If they do not raise their goal, they still get a new hairstyle; their hair dyed blue.
The NCHIS has been working with Northern Health to find out what the needs in the community are, and have been pledging to raise funds for a Bone Mass Density Scanner, an enhanced form of x-ray technology that is used to measure bone loss, for the Prince Rupert Regional Hospital.
“The North Coast Health Improvement Society has been working on getting the scanner in so that people don't have to go out of town for scans. And Northern Health has been letting us know about how training is coming for the new equipment,” said Lisa Letnes of the society, who is also collecting pledges for the cause.
Over the past few months, three individuals including Letnes have been pledging for Bluey Days. This year, all three individuals pledging will be raising a set amount to either avoid getting a crazy new hairstyle, or to get one.
Kendal Shepard doesn’t have an exact fundraising goal, but instead will sport a blue Mohawk for a week minimum. Depending on how much he raises, Shepard will sport the rocker-hairstyle for at least a week, with every dollar counting for one hour of Mohawk-time after that.
Letnes also decided to do things differently this year.
“This year I decided to reverse it... If I didn't raise $2,000 I would have to have my head shaved bald, if I did raise the money my hair will be blue,” said Letnes, who is well on her way to reaching her goal.
The final fundraiser is Northern View editor Shaun Thomas, who has set a fundraising goal of $1,000. If Thomas raises over one grand, he will have his head shaved. If he doesn’t meet his goal, he will have his hair dyed blue.
The participants will receive their new haircuts on June 9 at 2:30 p.m. at Northern Savings Credit Union.
Anyone wishing to donate funds for the new equipment can do so by donating funds directly to the North Coast Health Improvement Society - specifying that it is for the Bone Mass Density Scanner. The society’s address is Po Box 326, Prince Rupert, V8J-3P9.