In a powerful show of solidarity and compassion, a group of students at Oxford on Rideau Public
School, led by Cole DeVries and Hunter Wilson, have
spent over a year growing mullets to raise funds and awareness for cancer. The
unique campaign, dubbed “Mullet
Mas-a-Cure”, culminated in an emotional head-shaving event, where
participants shed their locks in honour of a beloved friend, Derek Ireton, who
is currently undergoing cancer treatment.
Not content on their own, Cole and
Hunter recruited their friends to join the cause – Easton DeVries, Jack Holmes, Mason Wilson, Isaac Frampton, and Kane Cooper
joined them in growing their mullets. In March, they invited their friends, family, staff,
and community members to sponsor their hair-growing journey, all in support of
cancer research and patient care.
The boys decided to fundraise because
“If we were going through
cancer, we know Ike would do the same for us.”
said Cole and Hunter. “It made us feel very happy about what we did, raising
so much money
for cancer.”
The head-shaving event, held at the school
on March 29th, drew a large
crowd of supporters. Cheers and tears filled the room as each student
took their turn getting their head shaved,
proudly honoring their
commitment and the cause. Hunter noted: “I was happy to shave my head
finally, because it felt like I had a toque on all winter!”
By the end of the day, the boys
had raised $6,970! Proceeds from the fundraiser were split between the WDMH
Foundation Cancer Care Fund, with $3,000 received for the Winchester District
Memorial Hospital (WDMH), as well as two additional charities supporting cancer research
and services for patients and families.
Cindy Ault Peters, Executive
Director of the WDMH Foundation, praised the students’ efforts: “This is what
community looks like—compassion, courage, and action.
We are incredibly proud of these students
for turning empathy into
impact and making such a difference to WDMH patients going through cancer
treatments. We can’t thank them enough – and we hope that they will inspire
other young people to fundraise too!”
To chat about fundraising events for WDMH or Dundas Manor, please contact Justine
Plummer at either 613-774- 2422 ext. 6172 or jplummer@wdmh.on.ca.