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Create Change at any Age

Janie Morency's Story

Halifax, Nova Scotia
May 25, 2015

When she was in grade five, Janie Morency rallied the support of her friends and teachers at Halifax Grammar School (HGS). She did this with the intention of saving someone's life. At the time, Janie's Aunt Harriet had entered hospice care as a result of ovarian cancer.

 "My aunt was an awesome person who deserved to be here. I'd never been faced with something that hurt so much," Janie recalls. "I didn't want anyone to feel like I did."

Janie MorencyJanie Morency and her mother Denise

Janie motivated her classmates to form Helping Hands of HGS to make a difference. Their first bake sale surpassed all expectations and proceeds supported the team's debut at the Ovarian Cancer Canada Walk of Hope.

The next year, Helping Hands hosted numerous bake sales and then the Mother-Daughter-Sister Tea. Their signature fundraising activities, together with the Walk, now represent highly anticipated traditions for some 20 team members and their friends and families.

"Through all of this, I've watched my daughter become a young woman by stepping into a very unique role," says Janie's mom, Denise. "She was standing up and talking about ovarian cancer at just 13."

"If it's possible to make a positive out of something so dark, we've got to do it," says Janie. "The only way to cure ovarian cancer is by raising awareness."