A collection of Year 12 Stawell Secondary College students are in the process of raising funds and awareness for their friend, who has battled a rare hair condition since they were little.
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Rhianna Pellegrino, Samantha Kelleher, Lachie Dalkin, Logan Gibson, Gemma Senior and Riley Ika are putting their heads together for a good cause to help support friend Tara Ahern.
Tara suffers from alopecia, a rare hair condition that causes people to lose hair from a single area or from multiple areas of their head, face or body.
To support their friend, the girls will be donating their hair, while the boys will be shaving their heads to help raise funds.
Stawell Secondary College school captain Gemma Senior said she had wanted to help Tara since they were both young
"Since I have been little, I have always wanted to give my hair to her," she said.
"The girls have grown their hair out and they will be cutting it and donating it and the boys will be cutting or shave there's to help raise funds.
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"I thought it would be better to make a fundraiser for it and get the word out to help raise more funds.
"It is not a very well known issue and so we can help by getting everyone else involved."
Tara said when she found out her friends were organising such a big fundraiser, she was a little overwhelmed.
"We have known each other since we were about five and she has always said she was going to donate her hair," she said.
"I cried.
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"Not many people know, I was always wearing wigs and I never used to care about it when I did have no hair, and people don't take much notice anymore.
"But it was really nice that they have organised this and I cried a bit."
Donations can be made to the fundraiser, which will be given to Variety - the Children's Charity, to help provide a wig or other vital equipment to a child in need.
The haircuts are booked in for November 26, 2021, around the time of their final day of school.
So far the group have already raised $1,932, with a much bigger goal in mind.
In the meantime, the group are hoping to organise a dress-up day to fundraise for the event as well as a raffle.
Those exact details are yet to be confirmed.
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