It was pink cupcakes, pink shirts and smiles all around at the Williams Lake Seniors Village Wednesday, where residents, staff and special visitors celebrated the anti-bullying campaign, Pink Shirt Day.
"I think it should be every day," said Ava Trudel, a Grade 5 student who is a part of the Grade 5/6 Cataline Intergenerational Learning Project.
"That's a very good observation," noted her senior friend, Jessie Voth, who wore a sharp-looking pink blazer and visited with Trudel, her student friend, after students, staff and children from the Little Moccasins Learning Centre took time to pose for a group photo before visiting and playing games.
Lisa Walker, clinical lead nurse at the Seniors Village, said Retirement Concepts is a big supporter of Pink Shirt Day in Williams Lake and across the country.
"We are celebrating the anti-bullying day and wanted to 'make nice' like the slogan says," said Walker.
Marketing manager Tammy Deausy said it was a wonderful day for everyone.
"Our main objective was to bring awareness to Pink Shirt Day through the generations."
For 12-year-old intergenerational student Fraser Folley, celebrating Pink Shirt Day with his senior friend Dorothy Denny was a real pleasure.
"It's fun, really fun. I love it," Foley said of connecting with seniors.
"They're really friendly, and they're nice. When I come here it feels like home."
For her part, Dorothy Denny, 86, loves living at the Seniors Village and really looks forward to visiting her student friends.
"It's fun talking to the kids and playing games with them," she said. "They are all really nice."
Seniors such as Denny and Voth said they never really experienced bullying as it is today, but think raising awareness about the issue is good.
Resident Ken Bidulock also enjoyed visiting with the students and said back in his day people did split up into different groups causing tensions, conflicts and fights. He said he will also never forget this one particular young person who committed suicide because he was bullied.
"I still remember his face and his name," Bidulock said. "I think Pink Shirt Day is an awareness and a start to something. There is also bullying in the workplace. It happens even with adults, unfortunately. But this is a start to creating a better generation in the future."