Rogers launches new Orange Shirt Day campaign supporting residential school survivors

TORONTO — Rogers Communications is launching a new t-shirt for the 2021 Orange Shirt Day campaign which looks to support Indigenous communities across Canada.

The new shirts, which will be available for purchase on TSC, will be sold beginning Friday until Orange Shirt Day on Sept. 30.

Over the last year, the Orange Shirt Day campaign has raised $100,000 for the Orange Shirt Society.

All proceeds will be divided up equally between the Orange Shirt Society and the Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS).

The IRSSS is a B.C. based organization that provides essential services to Residential School Survivors, their families, and those dealing with intergenerational trauma.

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Earlier this year, Rogers donated $50,000 to the IRSSS in an effort to continue supporting those dealing with past and present trauma caused by residential schools.

This year’s specially designed shirt was created by Patrick Hunter, a two-spirited Ojibway artist and graphic designer from Red Lake, Ontario.

Along with the original design, Hunter has added a new shoulder patch depicting two children’s moccasins, commemorating the thousands of children lost to the residential school system.

More than 150,000 Indigenous children were sent away to residential schools since the beginning of the 19th century. With the last residential school closing in the mid-1990s, the trauma of the system lives on today.

Following the discovery of thousands of unmarked gravesites across the country in recent weeks, the time to listen and provide endless support is needed now more than ever.

For those continuing to deal with the traumas caused by the residential school system, and who are in need of emotional support, the 24-hour Residential Schools Crisis Line is available at 1-866-925-4419.

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