Shaving my Head for East Gippsland Fire Aid
Hi, my name is Rebecca and I’ve started this fundraiser to help the communities and animals which have been affected by the Gippsland fires.
At the end of January (Friday 24th) I will shave my red hair off to honour those who are fighting on the front lines and those who have lost everything to the fires. This will be happening at the Monash University Clayton Campus and the top 3 individual donations are in charge of the clippers.
I’m sure most of you are already aware of the severity of the fires which are still raging along the East Coast of Australia. Whilst fire is a natural process in Australia, the prolonged droughts and severe weather conditions have caused immeasurable damage to millions of hectares already. Towns have burnt to the grown, farmers have lost everything including their homes and their livestock, people have lost loved ones, millions of animals have been killed and the death toll and destruction is still rising.
I write this from the comfort of my desk in Melbourne, but my heart breaks for those who are fighting on the front line and for the communities affected. I don’t have the skills to help at the moment, so my aim is to raise as much money as I can to donate to the organisations who are working around the clock to provide food, shelter and medication to those affected. Fire fighters, a lot of which are volunteers, are spending 16 hours a day trying to contain the flames and save homes, many organisations are getting food, clothes and medication to people that have been evacuated, wildlife rescuers are looking for and treating injured animals, convoys of trucks and trailers are going into black zones with feed and water for stranded livestock.
Every little bit helps, even if you are not in a position to donate money please share and get the word out. All donations will go to recognised charities which provide directly to those affected by the fires. I will update with details in the next few days.
UPDATE
There are so many charities and organisations doing amazing work, I have chosen two to support in my fundraiser.
First one is WIRES http://www.wires.org.au which is a NSW based Wildlife rescue group. Millions of native animals have been killed in these fires, and those that have survived are in need of veterinary attention and rehabilitation. The website provides more details of where donations will be used.
The second is a community run organisation providing transport, feed and support to horses and livestock throughout Gippsland. I have been following their efforts over the last few weeks and they have been working around the clock co-ordinating available transport and getting them in touch with animals in need of evacuation as well as providing a comprehensive list of safe evacuation points. They are spending all donations directly on supplies, all transport and times costs are self-funded. It has been an inspirational effort by a group of locals just trying to help where they can. The facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/groups/GippslandHorsesafe/
