Laval fourth-grader raises more than $2,000 in honour of stepfather’s cancer battle

It was a non-uniform day unlike others at Saint Vincent Elementary school in Laval, on Friday as it was Funky Hair Day.

The mastermind behind the colourful idea is 10-year-old Maya Vartivarian. She wanted to raise money for cancer research in honour of her stepfather, who is battling the disease.

It all started when Maya heard an ad for the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation’s Colour to Conquer campaign on the radio. She then decided to dye her hair purple.

“I told my parents: ‘mom, dad can I really, really please do this? It’s so cool and, like, I can raise money for it,'” she said.

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Maya’s mother, Nadia Marsillo, agreed.

“I thought it was very exciting and I thought is was great for her to do something positive in light of what was going on in the family.”

Maya’s stepfather, Gianni Romanelli, is proud of her initiative. “She’s creating great awareness and I’m very happy,” he said.

The fourth grader said she choose her hair colour for its meaning.

“I wanted to choose lavender because lavender represents all cancers and I’m not only doing it for my stepdad, I’m doing it for everyone because I just want it to stop,” she said.

Maya first set a modest goal of $50 on her fundraising page but then, the money started pouring in.

“I was at $250, then I had to go to $500, then I went to $1,000. I kept beating my goal,” Maya said.

Since the start of the campaign in early May, Maya managed to raise nearly $1,900, plus an additional $715 donated by classmates and parents on Friday.

“Honestly, I was stunned. We had such a great reaction from the school,” said Romanelli.

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Most teachers also joined in the fun and came to school with funky hairstyles and colours.

“To see the kids all coloured up with these crazy hairdos is unbelievable,” said Paolo Galati, Sir Wilfrid Laurier School Board Chair and a friend of Maya’s family.

“It inspires me to do more when I see something like this happen,” he said.

Saint Vincent Elementary school counts 295 students divided into two locations. Its principal, Nadia Anwar, said that students and parents from both buildings participated enthusiastically.

As Maya and her family pray for quick remission, the success of this campaign gives them hope.

“I really felt good that I’m actually getting to do something good and everybody is also doing it,” Maya said.

Romanelli said he was moved by Maya’s dedication.

“It really makes me feel like a proud stepdad to have her in my life.”