It's Not About The Whisky - Youth Mental Health Fund Raiser

Hi,

My name is Brent Bennett and back in the early days of 2024 I accepted a bet with a couple of mates.

The conditions were; grow my hair and beard without cutting them for 12 months and at the end of that time I would be rewarded with some particularly yummy whisky.

It seemed like an extremely easy wager to win - do nothing, get whisky.

Fast forward 10ish months and, with the end finally in site, I've been thinking about how I can take advantage of my increasingly hobo-esque appearance for the greater good.

In August last year a friend lost his teenage daughter to suicide.

It was a heartbreaking tragedy that affected many people and in the following days and weeks I had a lot of discussions with many people around mental health and the rippling effects of suicide on the community and those left behind.

In light of this, I decided that I would use my scruffy exterior to try and do some good.

To this end, I am starting this fundraiser to try and raise as much as I can for Youth Focus.

In May this year, I will be getting my first haircut in 12 months and in direct defiance of my long-suffering wife's patience, that hair (and beard) cut will be as embarrassingly ridiculous as I can get - I'm thinking a Friar Tuck crossed with a Skullet and just shaving straight down the middle of my face to make the longest mutton-chops ever!

I will then maintain this idiotic look for one month in the hope that people will donate money to the dancing clown that I have become.

This fund raiser will stay open until the month is up.

Youth Focus is a WA based, not for profit charity that provides help to at risk young people dealing with suicidality and mental health issues. They have been in operation since 1994 and provide a host of online resources, as well as phone and face to face counselling services.

From the Youth Focus website:

Established in 1994, Youth Focus is a leading not-for-profit organisation that delivers innovative and accessible mental health services and programs across Western Australia to help young people thrive.

Our vision is a world in which a young person’s mental health does not get in the way of them being who they want to be

So, please give as generously as you can and join me in raising money for a great cause by publicly humiliating myself - and, by extension, anyone hanging out with me - for a whole month!

Thanks.