A six-year-old New West resident who chopped off her hair for charity raised more than double her original goal.
Madelynn Cheung, a Grade 1 student at Skwo:wech Elementary School, decided to sacrifice her long locks for a good cause: to donate her hair and raise money for Wigs for Kids B.C. — an organization that helps children dealing with cancer and other illnesses.
She set a fundraising goal of $1,000 and said farewell to her hair during a special after-school event right before spring break, on Friday, March 10.
Her community rallied around the cause, and Madelynn not only met her goal — she smashed it altogether.
As of today, her Wigs for Kids fundraising drive has brought in $2,095.
"I wanted to teach my six-year-old girl that, although she may be small and young, anyone can make a difference and help," explained Madelynn's mom, Vi Vo, in an email to the Record, when the family launched their fundraising campaign.
"This past year or two Madelynn has been learning about different people and possible reasons why some people may not have hair and what we can do to help. Maddy has decided to grow and donate her hair to the Wigs for Kids B.C. organization, along with monetary pledges and donations."
The end result left them all smiling, as a family photo of a grinning, shorter-haired Maddy shows.
"It was a great day," Vo reported on the Record's Facebook post about Maddy's campaign.
You can still check out Maddy's official Wigs for Kids B.C. fundraising page for details.
Follow Julie MacLellan on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
Email Julie, [email protected]
