Ready to lost their locks

MEL Reed is no stranger to fundraising and she has now joined forces with Allendale East Area School colleague and friend Verity Rice with their latest campaign coming to fruition this weekend.

The duo is part of the Leukaemia Foundation’s World Greatest Shave, losing their locks on Sunday at the Tarpeena Hotel, with the shave slated for 2pm.

Their campaign officially started last July and they have hosted events, sold lucky squares and raffle tickets and an online donation portal with the moment of truth now only a couple of days away.

“I think it’s a really important cause,” Verity said. “Imagine if they could cure blood cancer – it affects so many people from little kids to really, really old people.”

Such has been the support for Mel and Verity, they have continued to eclipse their fundraising goals and they are now aiming for $20,000 between them.

A successful online auction really kickstarted the flow of funds to the campaign and the support from local business to support their many and varied fundraising efforts, along with the willingness of the community to dig deep has been overwhelming for the duo.

“It blows you away how kind people are and how quick they are to support a good cause,” Mel said.

“It is amazing the generosity of some of our local businesses,” Verity said. “It’s actually quite humbling.”

From a Bunnings Sausage Sizzle to a market day at the school, from lucky squares to an Easter raffle to the bidding for the privilege of helping shave the ladies’ locks, the target is getting ever closer.

The support from the school community has been one of the highlights for the fundraising duo with the kids really embracing the lead up to Sunday’s shave.

“The kids at school had the opportunity to pay 50 cents a week to get the chance to choose what colour we would spray our hair,” Verity said.

It proved a fun side project as part of the World’s Great Shave campaign seeing Mel and Verity often spotted at school with rainbow-coloured hair.

It has also been a great way to raise awareness in the school community of blood cancer.

“We really wanted the kids to learn something and for the kids to have some sort of involvement – the school has been so generous,” Mel said.

While there is always the understandable apprehension about being bald, both Mel and verity have committed to growing their hair in the past eight months for maximum impact when they eventually lose their locks, and they know, unlike many cancer patients, their hair will grow back and quite quickly.

“Some people don’t have the luxury of hair growing back quickly,” Verity said. “If someone gets a laugh at my expense and donates money to the cause for the chance to see me with no hair then I am fine with that.”

The efforts of Sarah Stratford and Elivia Stanley as the unofficial marketing team have also been pivotal in Mel and Verity’s fundraising – ensuring the social media presence of the campaign.

“It is also amazing when you hear from people you haven’t seen for a long time but they want to help in some way,” Mel said.

You can still head to the World’s Greatest Shave website and donate online for either Mel or Verity or head to the Pines Hotel in Tarpeena on Sunday to watch the girls go bald as promised.