TORONTO — On Orange Shirt Day, a day when Canadians wear orange to acknowledge Canada’s history of residential schools, Rogers Communications announced today almost $100,000 has been raised through the purchase of t-shirts as part of the company’s #WeWearOrange campaign in support of the Orange Shirt Society.
During the two-month-long fundraising campaign, amplified across Rogers’ media assets, Canadians purchased almost 5,000 orange t-shirts (pictured above) designed by Ojibwe artist Patrick Hunter, through the Rogers-owned Today’s Shopping Choice website at tsc.ca/wewearorange. The t-shirts are still available for purchase through October 16.
Proceeds raised by Rogers through the t-shirt sales are going to the Orange Shirt Society’s ongoing efforts to raise awareness of Canada’s former residential school system and the impact it has left on generations of Indigenous peoples across Canada.
“September 30 is a day we call upon all Canadians to learn about the traumatic legacy of the residential schools, listen to stories from survivors and acknowledge those tragically lost to the system,” said Phyllis Webstad, executive director of the Orange Shirt Society, whose personal experience at a residential school inspired Orange Shirt Day. “The support we’ve seen from our collaborators and from communities coast to coast to support Orange Shirt Day is truly meaningful as we continue our healing journey, and focus on education as a means to reconciliation.”
“The support we have received from our team members and from customers has been overwhelming, and a reflection of hope for Indigenous communities across Canada,” added Kim Barrington, chair, Indigenous Peoples’ Network, Rogers Communications, in the company’s press release. “This campaign was a first for us, and it was amazing to see the team come together with passion and a commitment to helping our communities, by leveraging the full power of our assets to increase awareness of support for Orange Shirt Day.”
