Whether it is meeting your hero, having your dream bedroom, or traveling the world, everybody has a wish. You know, that one thing in the world you’ve wished for since you can remember. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have those wishes of yours come true? Well, with the kinds hearts of the Make-A-Wish Foundation the wishes of children with life threatening illnesses do come true. Since its inception in 1986, the Make-A-Wish Foundation has granted over 1,060 wishes in Southwestern Ontario, creating smiles across the province and helping to restore a little bit of normalcy to the lives of sick children and their families. As a part of this wish granting process Make-A-Wish holds fundraisers year round.
One that is particularly unique is their Go Blue! Go Bald! campaign. Participants in this campaign dye their hair blue to raise money and awareness for the foundation and then shave their heads. As a girl with short hair this fundraiser was particularly intriguing. For my entire life I have watched my mother and sister spend years donating their hair to make wigs for children with cancer and I, with my short hair, felt compelled to do something to help. So, I joined the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the thousands of people every year who sign up to dye their hair blue and then shave their heads. From January 6th to March 6th, my hair will be blue and then I’ll be bald. Until my shave day on March 6th I will be collecting donations for this wonderful organization, with the hopes of inspiring other people to volunteer for the cause.
It feels amazing to realize how much awareness a single person can raise in their own little way. Dying my hair has been empowering as it has helped me to realize that there are so many things in our lives that we take for granted. Oddly enough, our hair seems to be one of those things. Being blue helps me to remember that judging people by their appearance creates barriers. By going blue to encourage conversation about the Make-A-Wish foundation, I have learned that this stigma can be lifted. Being bald is also an interesting experience as I ponder on how much courage it takes for cancer patients to face this inevitable consequence of treatment. Overall, this campaign with the Make-A-Wish Foundation enriches my life experience, putting my life into perspective.
In the hopes of making more wishes come true feel free to run up to me, Lauren Phillips, on campus with a cash donation, or you can donate to me at the link below:
http://my.e2rm.com/personalPage.aspx?registrationID=2185259
