Orange Shirt Day is a commemorative event held annually on September 30th to honour the children who attended residential schools and never returned home, as well as the Survivors and their families. The date was chosen because it was the time of year when many Indigenous children were forcibly removed from their homes and sent to these institutions. The orange shirt serves as a symbol of the loss of culture, freedom, and self-esteem experienced by children in the residential school system, a concept originating from the story of residential school Survivor Phyllis Webstad. The day promotes reconciliation by encouraging Canadians to wear orange shirts to acknowledge the history and ongoing impacts of residential schools and to affirm the message that "Every Child Matters".