{"id":496779,"date":"2026-02-24T17:56:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/496779\/"},"modified":"2026-02-24T17:56:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T17:56:13","slug":"montreal-grade-6-student-knits-for-a-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/496779\/","title":{"rendered":"Montreal Grade 6 student knits for a cause"},"content":{"rendered":"

Inside Montreal\u2019s Edward Murphy Elementary school, sixth-grader Violette Ramirez is turning yarn into somethin bigger.<\/p>\n

Violette is taking part in the Canadian Cancer Society\u2019s February knitting challenge \u2014 a nationwide initiative in support of cancer patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really wanted to help people who are going through cancer, and help them survive, so I wanted to help find a cure for it,\u201d said Violette.<\/p>\n

\"\"Sixth-grader Violette Ramirez knitting a blanket in support of the Canadian Cancer Society\u2019s February knitting challenge, Feb. 23, 2026. (Deirdra Danovitch, CityNews)<\/p>\n

Throughout the entire month of February, Violette has committed to knitting every single day, creating handmade items to raise funds for patients and their families, turning a diagnosis that touched her family into a mission to support others. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve lost a lot of people dear to us and a lot of people also going through cancer close to our family,\u201d said Violette. \u201cI\u2019m hoping to inspire people to change and help others who are going through a hard time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Violette is one of more than 3,000 participants across the country taking part in the annual fundraiser. Violette\u2019s mother, Tania Martial, said she couldn\u2019t be more proud of her involvement.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been deeply emotional and I\u2019m full of pride as a parent to see your child lead this kind of initiative upon herself. She took it upon herself to actually do this,\u201d said Martial. \u201cAs soon as Violette heard about the cause, I could see she was determined to help in any way she could.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Tania Martial, Violette\u2019s mother, inside Edward Murphy Elementary school, Feb. 23, 2026. (Deirdra Danovitch, CityNews)<\/p>\n

Violette\u2019s mother taught her how to knit nearly four years ago. Now, Violette frequently makes blankets for her family members. She explained that the process is highly soothing, and has always been an activity she could turn to for relaxation and pleasure.<\/p>\n

Martial explained that cancer has had a real and deep impact on their family.<\/p>\n

\u201cViolette has witnessed firsthand how cancer can affect a patient\u2019s journey, and their loved ones as well,\u201d said Martial. \u201cSo, she wanted to make sure she can help.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Violette\u2019s leadership doesn\u2019t stop at home; it\u2019s also observed at school. Christina Chilelli, the principal at Edward Murphy Elementary school, said Violette acts as a role model and her presence is always felt in a positive way.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows the other students, or any other child her age, that if one person can make a difference regardless of their age or cause, that they too can make a difference,\u201d said Chilelli, going on to describe Violette as a student who leads by example. \u201cWe\u2019re very proud of Violette and I\u2019m very proud to call her a student of Edward Murphy school.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Christina Chielli, Principal at Edward Murphy Elementary school, Feb. 23, 2026. (Deirdra Danovitch, CityNews)<\/p>\n

Funds raised through the Canadian Cancer Society go toward research to better detect, treat, and prevent cancer, while also providing information and assistance for patients and families nationwide. Nearly $800,000 has been raised so far in support \u2014 a resounding success according to Ashley Thorpe, organizer of the social fundraising challenges for the Canadian Cancer Society.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have people from coast to coast who are sharing what they are knitting and asking their friends and family to donate to them to raise money for the Canadian Cancer Society,\u201d said Thorpe. \u201cThe knitting and crocheting that people are doing across the country and the amount of money they\u2019ve raised has just been absolutely phenomenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

While February is coming to an end, Violette\u2019s impact won\u2019t, saying she\u2019s eager to continue leading by example, and encouraging others to create positive change. \u201cAny small gesture can make a big impact,\u201d said Violette. <\/p>\n

Martial hopes Violette\u2019s story will inspire others, and make them realize that age doesn\u2019t make difference. \u201cYou can be a leader at any age and what\u2019s important is to lead with compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other fundraising initiatives through the Canadian Cancer Society are also available throughout the year. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Inside Montreal\u2019s Edward Murphy Elementary school, sixth-grader Violette Ramirez is turning yarn into somethin bigger. Violette is taking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":496780,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194292],"tags":[49,48,2338],"class_list":["post-496779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-montreal","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-montreal"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496779","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496779"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496779\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/496780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496779"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496779"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496779"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}