Nate's Shave for Charity
Donation protected
♂️✂️ I’M SHAVING MY HEAD FOR CHARITY, PLEASE DONATE!! ✂️♂️
The time has come for the ‘fro to go! Ever since I started growing my hair long after leaving school, it has always been a bucket list item of mine to be able to one day donate it and raise some money for a bunch of great causes that are close to my heart.
As many people know, children and adults alike can be affected by medical conditions such as cancer and alopecia meaning they lose their hair, and it is to these kids that my hair will hopefully be going to, via Sustainable Salons. These guys facilitate the donation of hair for the purpose of making charitable wigs, as well as a bunch of other great initiatives around salons/hair and saving the planet. A portion of the money raised through this fundraiser will be going to the Cancer Council Victoria, who work to support cutting edge cancer research and education; as well as Camp Quality, who provide services, camps and programs for children aged 0-15 across NZ and Aus (and globally) dealing with cancer.
Mental health is an issue that is incredibly important to me, in particular for us blokes. Like it or not, I’ve started to bald (hence why I’m choosing to donate my hair now while it’s still here) which has had a wee bit of a negative impact on my own mental health, as it does for many of us young men - often more so than we care to admit. Thankfully, I’m surrounded by a loving and supportive environment, with access to help if I need it, and I’m aware that my hair does not define me, although I can admit that it has been a big part of my identity since leaving school, hence why it’s such a big deal for me to be able to make this decision on my terms, and to do it for a good cause. However, not everyone is as fortunate as I am to be in this position, and mental health, especially for men, is a topic that is far too often swept under the rug.
A portion of the money I raise will be going toward BeyondBlue, the Mental Health Foundation of NZ and Movember.
- BeyondBlue is a charity that works wonders in Australia promoting mental health and wellbeing and preventing suicide through research, information, advice and support, and advocacy.
- The Mental Health Foundation is an organisation back home in New Zealand doing similar work around mental health, providing education resources, support and prevention services, as well as advocating for policy change at a governmental level.
- Movember is a charity best known for doing moustaches. Truthfully, this is the first time I’ve donated to them due to an inability to grow sufficient facial hair, however they also do great work around men’s issues - in particular around men’s mental health and suicide prevention, as well as prostate and testicular cancer.
- UPDATE: I'll also be giving some money to Gumboot Friday/IAMHOPE - initiatives by the Key to Life Charitable Trust. They help connect young people with over 3,800 existing counsellors or therapists across NZ, providing free counselling sessions to Kiwis aged 5–25 when they need it most, primarily during the crucial gap between crisis and being able to access government-funded support, which can sometimes take up to 12 months and is an otherwise exceptionally high-risk period.
Finally, as I progress deeper into the field of medicine, it has become clear to me that health professionals are subjected to some of the most mentally draining work conditions in the world. Unfortunately, mental health is also still seen as a somewhat taboo topic in my field. A smaller amount of the money I raise from my shave will also be going to the CrazySocks4Docs initiative, a foundation that aims to break down the stigma around mental health issues in doctors and health professionals.
The shave will be held in Melbourne on July 24th (EDIT: POSTPONED DUE TO COVID LOCKDOWN - I will get it done ASAP once lockdown is over...), to give me time to mentally say goodbye to my luscious locks and allow all you lovely people plenty of time to donate if you wish. I'll be getting my hair cut at Colin Moxley Hairdressing - a Sustainable Salon who's owner (Colin himself) has generously offered to cut my hair for free and personally ensure that it is suitable for donation (bloody legend!).
I’m hoping to raise at least $3600 for these causes (but more would be great!). As an incentive, for any donation of $100+ I will allow you to cut one of the ponytails off to be donated, for $50 or more I’ll allow you to have a shave or two of my head post-ponytail-removal, and for any donation over $20 I’ll offer you a high five and/or fist bump at any point during the shave or afterwards. For a donation of any amount I will be eternally grateful, and I hope that you too will feel good knowing that your money is going to a number of extremely worthwhile causes.
♂️✂️ Please, consider donating whatever you can afford and thanks in advance! ✂️♂️
https://sustainablesalons.org/
https://www.cancervic.org.au/
https://www.campquality.org.au/
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/home
https://mentalhealth.org.nz/
https://nz.movember.com/?home
https://www.iamhope.org.nz/gumbootfriday
https://www.crazysocks4docs.com.au/
The time has come for the ‘fro to go! Ever since I started growing my hair long after leaving school, it has always been a bucket list item of mine to be able to one day donate it and raise some money for a bunch of great causes that are close to my heart.
As many people know, children and adults alike can be affected by medical conditions such as cancer and alopecia meaning they lose their hair, and it is to these kids that my hair will hopefully be going to, via Sustainable Salons. These guys facilitate the donation of hair for the purpose of making charitable wigs, as well as a bunch of other great initiatives around salons/hair and saving the planet. A portion of the money raised through this fundraiser will be going to the Cancer Council Victoria, who work to support cutting edge cancer research and education; as well as Camp Quality, who provide services, camps and programs for children aged 0-15 across NZ and Aus (and globally) dealing with cancer.
Mental health is an issue that is incredibly important to me, in particular for us blokes. Like it or not, I’ve started to bald (hence why I’m choosing to donate my hair now while it’s still here) which has had a wee bit of a negative impact on my own mental health, as it does for many of us young men - often more so than we care to admit. Thankfully, I’m surrounded by a loving and supportive environment, with access to help if I need it, and I’m aware that my hair does not define me, although I can admit that it has been a big part of my identity since leaving school, hence why it’s such a big deal for me to be able to make this decision on my terms, and to do it for a good cause. However, not everyone is as fortunate as I am to be in this position, and mental health, especially for men, is a topic that is far too often swept under the rug.
A portion of the money I raise will be going toward BeyondBlue, the Mental Health Foundation of NZ and Movember.
- BeyondBlue is a charity that works wonders in Australia promoting mental health and wellbeing and preventing suicide through research, information, advice and support, and advocacy.
- The Mental Health Foundation is an organisation back home in New Zealand doing similar work around mental health, providing education resources, support and prevention services, as well as advocating for policy change at a governmental level.
- Movember is a charity best known for doing moustaches. Truthfully, this is the first time I’ve donated to them due to an inability to grow sufficient facial hair, however they also do great work around men’s issues - in particular around men’s mental health and suicide prevention, as well as prostate and testicular cancer.
- UPDATE: I'll also be giving some money to Gumboot Friday/IAMHOPE - initiatives by the Key to Life Charitable Trust. They help connect young people with over 3,800 existing counsellors or therapists across NZ, providing free counselling sessions to Kiwis aged 5–25 when they need it most, primarily during the crucial gap between crisis and being able to access government-funded support, which can sometimes take up to 12 months and is an otherwise exceptionally high-risk period.
Finally, as I progress deeper into the field of medicine, it has become clear to me that health professionals are subjected to some of the most mentally draining work conditions in the world. Unfortunately, mental health is also still seen as a somewhat taboo topic in my field. A smaller amount of the money I raise from my shave will also be going to the CrazySocks4Docs initiative, a foundation that aims to break down the stigma around mental health issues in doctors and health professionals.
The shave will be held in Melbourne on July 24th (EDIT: POSTPONED DUE TO COVID LOCKDOWN - I will get it done ASAP once lockdown is over...), to give me time to mentally say goodbye to my luscious locks and allow all you lovely people plenty of time to donate if you wish. I'll be getting my hair cut at Colin Moxley Hairdressing - a Sustainable Salon who's owner (Colin himself) has generously offered to cut my hair for free and personally ensure that it is suitable for donation (bloody legend!).
I’m hoping to raise at least $3600 for these causes (but more would be great!). As an incentive, for any donation of $100+ I will allow you to cut one of the ponytails off to be donated, for $50 or more I’ll allow you to have a shave or two of my head post-ponytail-removal, and for any donation over $20 I’ll offer you a high five and/or fist bump at any point during the shave or afterwards. For a donation of any amount I will be eternally grateful, and I hope that you too will feel good knowing that your money is going to a number of extremely worthwhile causes.
♂️✂️ Please, consider donating whatever you can afford and thanks in advance! ✂️♂️
https://sustainablesalons.org/
https://www.cancervic.org.au/
https://www.campquality.org.au/
https://www.beyondblue.org.au/home
https://mentalhealth.org.nz/
https://nz.movember.com/?home
https://www.iamhope.org.nz/gumbootfriday
https://www.crazysocks4docs.com.au/
Organizer
Nate Flacks
Organizer
South Yarra, VIC