Tanisha was seven years old when she thought her father was sick with a virus. He was diagnosed with leukaemia and died two days later, ABC News reports.
“He was such a nice guy — everyone said so,” the now 11-year-old said of her late father Warrick Baker.
Tanisha had big plans to shave her head on the fourth anniversary of her father’s death. The was before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
But she was determined not to let that hamper her fundraising effort and decided on a virtual head shave, which ended up raising $3,274 for the Leukaemia Foundation.
The Victorian school student is one of many Australians across the country who have had to come up with creative ways to keep fundraising events alive despite government restrictions in place designed to stop the spread of COVID-19.
She said doing the World’s Greatest Shave was close to her heart, and it was disappointing the fundraising event at a local cafe in Monbulk, Victoria, had to be cancelled due to coronavirus.
“I was really upset that I couldn’t do it at the cafe but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do,” she said.
“So we set up in the living room and shaved it.”
Her mother, Bec Baker, said the fundraising event did not turn out exactly how her daughter planned but she knew there was a good reason for cancelling the original plan.
“We just live streamed it, which was great because people got to comment as we went along,” she said.
Leukaemia Foundation acting fundraising head Rachel Lance said many Australians were committed to shaving their head despite the outbreak and were doing so online.
FULL STORY
Australian charities are changing the way they fundraise due to the coronavirus pandemic (ABC News)
PHOTO
Tanisha: Supplied