KUCHING
11 JULY 2023
GoBald 2023, Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society’s (SCCS) flagship awareness and fundraising campaign, continues to receive support from local communities joining its satellite shaves to help raise funds for children in Sarawak who are affected by childhood cancer.
Lodge Group of Schools is amongst the supportive communities whose teachers, parents and students have pledged to shave their heads and raise funds to show their support to children who are battling cancer. A satellite shave event was held at Lodge National Secondary School Hall in Kuching earlier today, raising more than RM58,000 in funds with a total of 27 heads shaved.
SCCS President Rodney Wong (黄启庆) congratulated Lodge Group for their collective efforts in raising more than the initial target of RM30,000, highlighting that the funds will contribute to providing vital resources and financial assistance to better support Sarawak’s childhood cancer community.
“One of the main goals of the GoBald campaign is to raise funds to provide better care and support for children fighting cancer and their families. Essentially, supporting the childhood cancer cause means working towards greater awareness, improved treatments and better support services to increase survival rates,” he said.
Wong also commended the courageous act of 17 students and 10 teachers who went bald in solidarity, saying “It is heart-warming to see the eager support from students as young as 8 years old who empathise with their peers, willing to lose their crowning glory to spread hope and positivity to children who are fighting cancer.”
The overall campaign at Lodge Group saw participation and support from more than 450 teachers, staff, parents, students and donors, with about 750 supporting the event physically at its school hall.
This marks Lodge’s seventh participation in GoBald since 2013 as part of their continued efforts in promoting awareness of childhood cancer in Sarawak.
“We must reiterate that awareness is key to early detection, and this enables accurate diagnosis to determine the best possible treatment available for the child. Active involvement in awareness events from schools and academies such as Lodge will create opportunities for parents and students to gain better understanding of childhood cancer, especially its signs and symptoms,” Wong emphasised.
Leading the shave, Director of Lodge Group of Schools Su Hiong Ai (苏香爱) highlighted the vital roles that learning institutions play in educating students about the impact of childhood cancer on patients and affected families to promote greater understanding and support for children with cancer.
“By engaging in such an initiative, we hope to dispel some common misconceptions of children with cancer while encouraging our students to foster empathy, kindness and compassion for this precious group of kids. We hope students will understand the importance of giving back to the community and working towards a cause, greater than themselves,” Su added.
Funds raised from GoBald will support SCCS’s annual operating expenses of about RM2 million to ensure children diagnosed with cancer have access to the best available care and support to improve treatment outcomes. Organisations who are interested in holding a satellite shave at their own premises can contact the GoBald team at +6011 3927 6553 or email at em1@sccs.org.my.
