CHESTERMERE – If you are ever around Edmonton around Valentine’s Day you may notice a lot (I mean a lot) of people with their hair dyed PINK or least parts of it PINK. Yes purely by accident, PINK is the colour chosen for the charity fundraiser “Hair Massacure”. A very cool name and colour for this worthwhile charity which began in Edmonton 11 years ago and is making its way throughout Alberta.
Hair Massacure was started by the MacDonald family and is run by Tammy MacDonald whose daughter Kali was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at the age of 2. She survived and is now a young woman who helps the charity raise money for sick kids with terminal illness.
The charity was introduced into Chestermere in part by a fellow by the name of Ron Jossul. Ron is the manager of the Totem/Rona on 52nd Street SE in Calgary and last year through Rona, Hair Massacure was presented to Totem and has carried on now that they have converted to Rona. Through Ron, his daughter Elizabeth and her friend Madison Crowe, even at their young age, thought this is such a wonderful cause they wanted to get involved and did so by taking their ideas to their schoolmates at Prairie Waters Elementary School. The girls went to each classroom and solicited the kids and hoped they would join in on the fundraising.
And join in they did. On January 24th, the Principle of Prairie Waters Elementary School, Ryan Siemens, welcomed the MacDonalds, Tammy, Kyrsti (Kali’s sister) and Fred, the Standard Poodle family dog and mascot; and wouldn’t you know – Fred is PINK. Kali would have normally been at the kickoff but she had exams to write so her sister Krysti filled in for her.
MacDonald gave a presentation about their family’s tribulation as Kali was taking chemotherapy. Their family and any family whose child gets sick goes through a very hard time financially and emotionally. MacDonald says that 80% of families go bankrupt when their child gets sick.
She asked the school kids if they have ever had the flu and most responded with a yes. Now imagine having the flu every day for 3 years; this is what Kali had to endure. She didn’t have any energy and couldn’t go outside to play like the other kids her age. It was a very difficult time and this is where the MacDonald family saw the need to raise funds to support other families who have a similar situation.
Thus began Hair Massacure. In the 11 years since its inception, Hair Massacure has brought in $6.1 million. There was over $1 million raised last year alone and half of that was raised by kids in the elementary schools. One elementary school actually raised $74,000 which Principal Siemens indicated he felt a challenge coming on; and so it was – the school principal and teachers are on the line to dye their hair one by one for every $1,000 raised.
“It’s huge in Edmonton” says MacDonald, “Even the professional sports teams get behind the charity and cut and dye their hair”. “As many as 8000 people take part in the event which centres on Valentine’s Day each year”. This is their first time in Chestermere (Calgary area) and they are taking it to some of the other cities such as Fort McMurray, Red Deer, Grand Prairie and Lethbridge.
This year the funds are going towards the Make A Wish Foundation and the Ronald MacDonald House.
Marvel Beauty College in Calgary is having an event helping with the Hair Massacure charity on February 11th and there will be another event at the Market Mall in Calgary March 1st.
For more information check out www.hairmassacure.com
This Valentines, have a PINK day.
