IDENTITY as a young woman growing up is such an important part of life and as most would recall or know, a person's hair can play a part in this.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
That is why making drastic changes, particularly when doing so all for charity, can be deemed as brave.
Yanco Agricultural High School year 10 student Cleo McLaughlin has been altering her hairstyle appearance in a huge way this week for two very important causes.
Cleo's beautiful long locks have been turned into a classic Australian mullet as she raises money for the Black Dog Institute as part of its Mullets for Mental Health initiative.
Then, Cleo will be another huge step when she shaves off all of her hair on Saturday in the name of raising money for children with cancer.
MORE NEWS:
So far, she has already raised almost $2000 for the Black Dog Institute and more than $1800 for children's cancer through Can Assist.
Her fundraising pages where donations can be made were only launched one week ago, making her efforts and the support she has received outstanding.
Cleo's mother Fran McLaughlin was proud of her daughter's willingness to go the distance to help others.
"She started with a target of $ 1000 for each cause and has surpassed both of these," Mrs McLaughlin said.
"This is a huge effort for causes very close to Cleo's heart.
"Cleo has always been a compassionate and courteous person (and) has always stood up for the underdog and people who can't defend themselves.
"(This) contribution continues her desire to make a difference in this world."
When Cleo was in year 6 at St Joseph's Primary school in Leeton, she and a couple of friends created a room to be used at lunchtime, a safe place where any child could go if they were feeling alone, being bullied or felt out of place.
She received the principals award that year for contribution to the school, noted was her maturity and sense of responsibility towards others, her compassion and empathy and enormous integrity and strong personal values, and her ability to "not go along with the crowd".
Residents who would like to donate to either or both of Cleo's causes can do so at https://www.teamblackdog.org.au/fundraisers/cleomclaughlin/mulletsformentalhealth?ref=8GM48099L0339354H or https://give.everydayhero.com/au/cleo-s-shave.
