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<\/p>\nBY GROWING a mullet and swimming hundreds of kilometres, two Year 12 students have put the spotlight on mental health and collectively raised more than $30,000 for national charities.<\/p>\n
St Joseph\u2019s College \u2018Justice and Solidarity\u2019 prefects Connor O\u2019Sullivan and Anton Ridgway undertook gigantic efforts to raise awareness for mental health, and fundraise for two separate initiatives; Mullets for Mental Health and Laps for Lifeline.<\/p>\n
Mr Ridgway took part in the Black Dog Institute\u2019s Mullets for Mental Health campaign, raising more than $27,000 with help from friends, family and teachers who assisted in increasing awareness on the topic.<\/p>\n
The 18-year-old surpassed his first fundraising goal within a few hours, getting things in motion via social media, where he then took his cause to the school.<\/p>\n
Once he and some friends started a group team, Mr Ridgway started gaining more traction and fundraising as a result.<\/p>\n
\u201cI decided to get involved with Mullets for Mental Health after everything that was happening around myself and my peer [Connor] with lockdowns and the tragedy we had experienced,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were all very passionate about the topic and the efforts made to encourage people to speak out and support were not limited to just Connor and I.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn particular, with the spike in isolation haircuts, I thought it would be an easy way to get people on board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a swimmer, Mr O\u2019Sullivan chose an initiative that included something he enjoyed, which is why he chose to raise money for the Laps for Life initiative.<\/p>\n
He swam a total of 100 kilometres over the month of March alongside the St Joseph\u2019s Swim Team. The team of staff and students pooled their efforts to raise over $9,000 and swim a total of 550 kilometres.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThere are proven to be many positive physiological and psychological effects of physical activity, especially from swimming, not to mention after the mentally and emotionally draining 2020,\u201d Mr O\u2019Sullivan, 18, said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to try and spread some positivity back into the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
The students and staff are immensely proud of their efforts, but both individuals consider the message they are trying to send to be the more important aspect.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn all honesty, I\u2019m more grateful to and proud of the people who supported us,\u201d Mr Ridgway said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFriends, family and teachers who were there to not only give funds, but also spread the word and the message about why it is so important for us all to take care of one another.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr O\u2019Sullivan hopes that Laps for Life can be even more successful in future years.<\/p>\n
People can now register their interest for Laps for Life and Mullets for Mental Health in 2022 at lapsforlife.com.au and blackdoginstitute.org.au.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BY GROWING a mullet and swimming hundreds of kilometres, two Year 12 students have put the spotlight on mental health and collectively raised more than $30,000 for national charities. St Joseph\u2019s College \u2018Justice and Solidarity\u2019 prefects Connor O\u2019Sullivan and Anton Ridgway undertook gigantic efforts to raise awareness for mental health, and fundraise for two separate […]<\/p>\n