By JESSE GRAHAM AND KATH GANNAWAY
YARRA Valley kids have shown they have what it takes when it comes to helping others as part of the Leukaemia Foundation’s World’s Greatest Shave.
Jack Christie, 10, from Healesville, Cody Robinson, 12, from Woori Yallock and Callum Richardson, 10, from Hoddles Creek have raised around $8000 with the help of their family, friends and communities.
Jarryd Duits, 23, of Healesville also put his locks on the line raising $2330.75.
Jack went under the razor on Wednesday, 23 March, outside Healesville’s Eview Group Real Estate.
Friends, family and business owners attended the shave, which was live-streamed online, with Vanessa from Haircutters Gallery chopping off his blond locks to a round of applause.
Jack said that he had raised more than $1000 by the time of the shave, and many attendees handed the freshly-shaved boy $20 and $50 notes to add to the total.
Jarryd’s event at Grind N’ Groove on 12 March saw him cutting his hair for the first time in 10 years, and losing his bushy beard.
Cody was also surrounded by family and friends at the Sam Knott Hotel in Wesburn on Saturday, 12 March, where his parents took charge of the scissors and razor.
In a super-charged campaign, Cody raised most of the money from donations, pushing total from $2030 to over $5000 on shave day with a $500 donation from Yarra Valley Ladies in Pink and $1000 from a family friend. A sausage sizzle, raffles and hair colouring added to the tally.
Cody, who had grown his hair for three-and-a-half years, dedicated the shave to his Nan who passed away from cancer, and a family member who is battling the disease.
Callum had enormous support from the Hoddles Creek Primary School, where the shave took place on Friday 11 March.
The Grade 4 student chased sponsorship and donations and the Junior School Council held a Funky Hair Day to add to the bottom line.
Callum kept the money pouring in even after the shave, taking donations from anyone keen to run their hands over his new spikey hair.
Jack, Cody, Jarryd and Callum are among more than 150,000 who have signed on in March to support people with blood cancer and fund research.
The Victorian tally as of today (Monday) is $2,582,634 or 72 per cent of the goal of $3605.00. Donations can be made to Jack, Cody, Jarryd or Callum’s campaign until the end of March on the Greatest Shave website bit.ly/22FLDUl.
