‘You can sit with us’ T-shirts raise money for Lethbridge leadership program

Kaela Corraza is hoping to replace negative attitudes with positive ones one T-shirt at a time. She works at a Lethbridge printing shop and decided this year she would give Pink Shirt Day a local spin.

“I figured we could start #bekindyql,” Corraza said. “No one has used that hashtag and on the shirt it says: ‘You can sit with us.'”

She thought a few of her friends would buy the anti-bullying shirts and that would be it, but she has sold hundreds.

The shirts are $15 each and money raised goes to Beauty From the Inside Out. The Lethbridge-based program teaches girls confidence, self respect and leadership.  A spot in the program costs $500 per girl.

WATCH: Pink Shirt Day – anti-bullying awareness day in Alberta 

“To have (money raised) going to sponsor the young women that attend my program… The schools or families that call me and say: ‘Hey, I want my daughter to be apart of this but I can’t afford it…’

“I’m super excited that I have to means and the opportunity to say: ‘Yes, you can because this community loves your kid,” said Ranae Peterson, an organizer with Beauty from the Inside Out.

Corraza had high hopes but the community’s response blew her away.

As national anti-bullying day approaches, she is busy printing more shirts.

“My heart is full… It’s really good and it’s really rewarding,” Corraza said. “I’m excited for the final outcome to see what we as a community can do for this organization.”