Calendar campaign raises $15K for Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka

Courtesy Barrie360.com

By Ian MacLennan, May 6, 2025

A cheque presentation at Barrie City Hall on Monday, May 5, 2025 to mark the more than $15,000 raised by the Raw & Reflective fundraising calendar project in support of Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka. L to R: Deb James of Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka, Ward 1 Coun. Clare Riepma, and Sharon Smith, Raw & Reflective Calendar founder, of Connect Hair Studio. (Image – Barrie 360)

Black and white photography of local cancer survivors and their stories, their “raw” self without any clothes, displayed in a calendar to raise funds for Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka.

The  Raw & Reflective fundraising calendar was an idea of Sharon Smith, owner of Connect Hair Studio’s, six years ago.

Sales of the 2025 calendar raised $15,080.

Smith tells Barrie 360 that rather than zero in on a specific type of cancer, she wanted to do something that focused on the disease itself.

“They say that one in two people will be affected by a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime, and I wanted to support everybody. I thought it kind of makes sense to support a charitable organization that supports everybody.”

Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka certainly does that.

The organization opened its Red Door in 2010 and operates in a 10,000 square foot clubhouse on Quarry Ridge Road, a stone’s throw from Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre. Membership is free, and the more than 700 programs offered by Gilda’s Club are designed to provide emotional and social support, education, and practical assistance. The program variety is immense, including support for the families of cancer survivors and workshops for children and youth.

The 2025 calendar features 12 cancer survivors, each with their own story, captured in powerful black and white images.

“We decided black and white could be very tastefully done,” says Smith. “It’s been very successful. Each year, we have over 50 volunteers who help us with this project and pull it all together, including photographers, sponsors, videographers, and our models. It’s a real community effort, and it’s wonderful collaborations.”

Developing the calendar takes 10 months. Smith says it doesn’t take much searching to find people willing to share their cancer story.

“These people come to me, or it’s a friend of a friend, and they want to share their stories. It’s not just the image that has the impact. It’s also the blurb about their life, a bit of a living legacy.”

Calendars can bought in person for $25 at Gilda’s Club Simcoe Muskoka and Connect Hair Studio (274 Burton Avenue), or for purchase online.