Paris, a haircut, a death and Rotary, all lead me to this place in my life. In September of 2019 I was on a trip with my father to tour around Paris and to visit the grave of his uncle, Alexander Macdonald, who died in World War 2 when his plane was shot down over France. While in Paris I had decided to treat myself to a high end hair appointment at a salon called Marisol Paris Rive Gauche. A woman named Ky, was going to cut my hair, anyway SHE wanted and it was going to be a surprise for my dad. The day before my appointment and right when we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, my father lost consciousness, an ambulance had to be called, and he ended up in European Hospital Georges Pompidou. He died the next day. I never made it to the appointment. I flew home without my father and the world came to a standstill a few months later. Although patiently waiting to go back to Paris for some closure and for that hair appointment, I have had to make other plans for both. Which brings me to this platform of fundraising. This year of confinement and self-reflection has put so many of my blessings right in front of me and I have never felt so compelled to give more and take less. So when my Rotary Club, Nanaimo Daybreak, decided to celebrate its' 25 years of service in the community I knew I needed to do more than participate in the celebrations. I needed to tell my story, use my hair, and reach out to my connections to spread even more kindness.
As my profile picture shows, I have always been blessed with lovely hair right from the moment I was born. So, the first thing I am going to do is donate a minimum of 10" of my hair on June 25, 2021, and use the event to raise money for charity. I will donate my hair to the Hair Donation Program at Chai Lifeline Canada https://chailifelinecanada.org/ who do the most amazing things to help Canadians in need. Have a look at their website. You won't regret it and will know someone who needs their support. According to Chai Lifeline Canada my hair donation will "give the gift of beauty, confidence, self-love and hope to someone experiencing hair loss due to illness." My hair "will contribute toward a human hair wig – the most natural kind – and help restore their confidence and hope." As more money is raised beyond my goal, I will increase the length of my hair donation. Watch for updates!!! Second, the fundraising goal is $2500, $100 for every year Nanaimo Daybreak Rotary Club https://www.daybreakrotary.ca/ has been making their community and the world a better a place. The first $500 raised will go to The Rotary Foundation. Then, half of the remaining balance raised will be given to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation https://www.jdrf.ca/ to honour the journey my step-son Jordan has been on since he was 7. The other half of the donations will go to a charity of choice from a donor randomly selected on June 25, 2021. Third, and finally, if this campaign raises $10000 or more I will SHAVE MY HEAD!!!!
(tax receipts will not be provided due to the nature of this fundraiser)
I am reaching far and wide across Canada and the world for your help to pay it forward; to give someone the dignity of hair, others the freedom from insulin, and the last beneficiary could be your choice.
This campaign will be in honour of my father, Donald Arthur Murrell, a man who was often misunderstood but had soft and warm heart for those he loved.
Together, let's do this!!!