Search

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in posts
Search in pages

Bereaved Mother of 14 Year Old Bully Victim to Shave Her Head to Raise Funds for a 24 Hour Skype Helpline

Bereaved Mother of 14 Year Old Bully Victim to Shave Her Head to Raise Funds for a 24 Hour Skype Helpline

On the 7th December 2015, just a few weeks before Christmas, 14 year old Jessica Tolhurst died by suicide. “Chook,” as she is affectionately referred to by mother Mel, had been the victim of unrelenting bullies, who not intent on making her miserable during her time at school, would also use social media to continue the torment when she was at home. As a result, Jess, barely even a teenager, battled anxiety, depression and an eating disorder for several years.

Since the tragic loss of her daughter, Melinda Graham and her husband Dave, have founded the Bobdan Foundation to raise awareness about bullying and teenage suicide, and have been very active trying to get laws changed to protect victims of bullying.

Now The Bobdan Foundation and Angels Hope Global Kids Charity have joined forces to raise money for a project called ‘It adds up.’  Both Mel and her husband Dave will shave their heads in an effort to raise funds to resource a 24 hour Skype national helpline called itaddsup.info.

“I have not been one to see myself shaving my whole head of hair but this fundraiser has shown me that its only hair and I have a lifetime of chances to grow it back but without my baby girl I have never got a second chance at having her in my life ever again,” wrote Mrs Graham on the Brave Shave for Bullying GoFindMe page. 

“So at the end of the day its only hair to me and it will come back.

My wish for this fundraiser is that everyone can support it one hundred percent in however you feel you can, whether it’s just being their or donating or shaving your head.  Any support is so appreciated by my family and I and of course the many children out there who need something like this to turn to.”

The Brave Shave for Bullying will take place on the eve of National Anti-Bullying Day on Thursday March 15 at Wollongong City Mall. For more information on how you can support this very worthy and much needed cause you can follow the Bobdan Facebook page or make a donation on the Brave Shave for Bullying GoFundMe page.

Jolene

Jolene

Jolene enjoys writing, sharing and connecting with other like-minded women online – it also gives her the perfect excuse to ignore Mount-Washmore until it threatens to bury her family in an avalanche of Skylander T-shirts and Frozen Pyjama pants. (No one ever knows where the matching top is!) Likes: Reading, cooking, sketching, dancing (preferably with a Sav Blanc in one hand), social media, and sitting down on a toilet seat that one of her children hasn’t dripped, splashed or sprayed on. Dislikes: Writing pretentious crap about herself in online bio’s and refereeing arguments amongst her offspring.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.