Year 12 students Mollie Willing and Matilda Kelly rallied their peers to support a cause close to their hearts.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
One needn’t have travelled to the coast last week to see a sea of blue — there was one right here in Shepparton.
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On Friday, May 9, Greater Shepparton Secondary College hosted an out-of-uniform day, encouraging students to wear a touch of blue in exchange for a gold coin donation on Do It For Dolly Day.
The fundraiser was spearheaded by Year 12 students Mollie Willing and Matilda Kelly, who rallied their peers to support a cause close to their hearts.
Do It For Dolly Day is an annual initiative that aims to raise awareness about bullying while funding Dolly’s Dream, a charity honouring the memory of schoolgirl Dolly Everett, who tragically lost her life to bullying.
“Do It For Dolly Day and Dolly’s Dream are very important to us because we have suffered from bullying and cyberbullying ourselves, and know the effects it has on mental health,” Mollie said.
Year 12 students Matilda Kelly and Mollie Willing turned a simple idea into a substantial fundraising success.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
Initially, the duo had hoped to raise about $300.
However, in the week leading up to the fundraiser, Mollie and Matilda watched their efforts explode online as donations surged, thanks to their use of social media to spread the word.
“The support we got from the community was just, wow,” Mollie said.
“So many people had our backs ... and it skyrocketed.
“We raised $1200 in less than a week, before we even held our fundraising event at school, which was just crazy.”
By 3pm, after GSSC’s out-of-uniform day concluded, the total raised had reached $2183, with about $950 contributed by staff and students.
Matilda described the support they received as “surreal”, noting that the funds would greatly benefit the community.
“Cyberbullying, bullying and mental health are issues that are very prevalent today, especially in regional communities,” she said.
“To help Dolly’s Dream be able to talk to schools and people from our community and other regional communities who wouldn’t know how to get mental health support because of the lack of resources available is so important.
“By supporting the foundation, we’re helping those in our community access these resources.”
The funds raised will support various initiatives by Dolly’s Dream, including a 24-hour support hotline, school workshops and resources for parents.
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