In the nonprofit world, Hair Massacure sounds crazy. Not the colouring your hair pink and shaving it off part; I’m talking about two charities working together. To most, it’s unheard of!

Appointed the marketing and communications lead for the event, I’ll admit that I was unsure as to what the event would look like. Specifically, I was wondering what it would be like to work with Make-A-Wish. I’ve worked at Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta for nearly four years and have often viewed other children’s charities as our competition. Simply put, we’re competing for donations.

But if you change your thought process and start collaborating, it’s amazing what can happen. Together, we had a formula for success: the best resources, connections and ideas. Though the mission of Ronald McDonald House and Make-A-Wish differ, we both share the common goal of supporting sick children and their families. Through the planning, we discovered that we knew the same people and had even supported some of the same families.

About the event

Hair Massacure is a unique hair colouring and head shaving event supporting children with life-threatening illnesses. Kali MacDonald, the inspiration behind Hair Massacure, was diagnosed in September of 2000 at just two-years-old with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. After enduring three years of chemotherapy and losing her hair three times, Kali’s parents, Gord and Tammy, were determined to show Kali that she was not alone in her journey. As a result, Hair Massacure (formerly known as St. Valentine’s Day Massacure) was born and close to $8 million has since been raised for northern Alberta charities.

Over time, the event has evolved and now incorporates hair donations and encourages participants to colour their hair pink to help raise awareness for the upcoming head shave. Hoping to build on the success in northern Alberta, Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta and Make-A-Wish Southern Alberta collaborated to bring the event to Calgary in March 2014.

The results of setting competition aside

I’m thrilled to report that over $100,000 was raised through Hair Massacure to support sick children with life-threatening illnesses at Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta and Make-A-Wish Southern Alberta. There were challenges, but there were far more successes. I no longer view Make-A-Wish as our competition. They’re our friends. Planning for Hair Massacure 2015 begins in August. Here’s to another year of learning, collaborating and a few laughs along the way!

Jill Lesser is a Marketing Communications Advisor for Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta. For more information about Ronald McDonald House Southern Alberta or Make-A-Wish Southern Alberta, please visit www.rmhsouthernalberta.org and www.makeawishsa.ca.