Hair holds meaning. Each strand (or rather, lack thereof) carries a small piece of identity.
In a heartwarming display of support and solidarity toward the people in our community as well as those close to us who suffer from blood cancer and leukaemia, a group of Macleans College students – twenty strong- either shaving or cutting their hair gathered out in the amphitheatre on the windy day of the 24th of July.
Among the first to cut her hair was Abbie Yeung, a Year 13 student from Rutherford House.
“I participated in SFAC this year to help spread more info and knowledge for a good cause. The shave day was kind of daunting but was super fun as other people started cutting and shaving alongside me!! Hair grows back, and the memories I made, with the money I raised made it all worthwhile in the end.”
– Abbie Yeung, 2024
The event saw a steady stream of volunteers who had grown their hair out for more than a year in preparation for the event as well as returning shavers. One of which, was student organiser Damien Hollins;
Student organisers Damien and Hope played an essential role in organising and coordinating the event itself, holding meetings since the start of the school year. When asked about why they thought the event was a worthy cause, they said:
“The event itself was great, with the only downside being the unexpected showers. With Auckland weather being as unpredictable as it is, we managed to get rained on despite a perfect forecast. Morale was dampened slightly (literally) but everyone kept the energy going and the event came out as an overall success. Next year, we’ll have to be two steps ahead…”
Shave for a Cure is a series of nationwide events that occur across Aotearoa in schools, workplaces and communities that aims to raise money for Leukaemia & Blood Cancer NZ, a non-governmental charity that plays an integral part in supporting patients and their families and whānau that live with blood cancer or other serious blood conditions.
Cumulatively, the fundraising effort raised an astounding $12,284.57. These funds offer patients and their families services such as counselling and assistance in navigating the healthcare system, funding for groundbreaking research in the medical field, lobbying for health policies, awareness campaigns and much more.
Eight Kiwis – both adults and children- will discover that they have some form of blood cancer today. Leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Thus, the event itself becomes so much more than just a fundraiser. It is a sign and symbol of our cumulative strength as a community.
The efforts of each participant will definitely go towards a good cause.
At the end of the day, while each student may have had different reasons for participating, they remain united in their commitment to making a difference for those affected by the disease.
Now… a quick message on behalf of the student organisers:
“Well done to everyone who participated; you should be incredibly proud of yourselves for braving the rain and completing the shave/cut. On top of that, we’d like to say thank you to Mr Packer who helped us along the way with all the logistical challenges, as well as Rachel from Shave for a Cure who equipped us and got us started.”
– Damien Hollins and Hope Zhang, 2024
7th August 2024
Written by Amelia Hu, edited by Aaron Huang
Photos by Emma Li
