Notre Dame College’s Kennedy House captains and teachers shave their heads and raise over $2000 for Cancer Council

Under the leadership of house captains Liam Sanders and Aly Claridad, the event exceeded all expectations, raising over $2000.

The college’s director of students, Myra Hardy, admired Kennedy House’s philanthropic efforts.

“Today we’ve got our Kennedy House fundraiser,” she said.

“At the start of the year, the house captains chose the Cancer Council as their charity to support, and they’ve been working throughout the year to raise funds.”

The house captains took charge early on, organising various initiatives to raise funds for the cause.

In Term 1, they collaborated with Shepparton’s Cold Rock, hosting a successful fundraiser.

However, Friday marked the pinnacle of their efforts: the long-awaited ‘Kennedy Kutz’ event, which saw staff and students shave or cut their hair.

Liam expressed his gratitude to the donors and supporters.

“Well, we thought we’ll raise money for those that are suffering from cancer and we’ve raised over $2000. So it’s been great. We’d like to thank everyone that’s donated,” he said.

Aly said she wanted to support this charity as she was driven by experiences with the devastating effects of cancer within her own family.

“I specifically chose to support the Cancer Council because I’ve got family members who have passed away from cancer,” she said.

“So I think it’s a great way to help out with the research to find a cure for cancer.”

Aly also acknowledged the staff who played an instrumental role in organising the event.

“I’d like to say thank you to Mrs Gill and all the teachers who have helped us organise this.”

Two teachers, Nicole Linton and Ben Kelly, joined the Kennedy House captains in their noble endeavour.

“It’s a good reflection on the work that Liam and Aly have done,” Mr Kelly said.

Mrs Linton, who initially believed the teachers’ fundraising target of $1000 would not be met, expressed her astonishment.

“Traditionally, Kennedy House hasn’t been the best fundraiser, so we assumed that we (the teachers) wouldn’t need to have our hair cut.” she said.

“But they’ve exceeded expectations.

“At first we were thinking $750 would be impressive but we’ve gone over $2000. So that’s really great.”

The house captains said the overwhelming success of the Kennedy House fundraiser would not have been possible without the generous contributions of local businesses.

Domino’s in Shepparton North played a significant role in supporting the event by donating 50 pizzas.

“It’s the core of our business to serve our people, and it’s important to us to help the community,” store manager Anuj Gour said.

To contribute to the fundraiser, visit tinyurl.com/KennedyFundraiser2023