Each year in May, hundreds, if not thousands, of community members come together to remember Dolly. Dolly Everett was a fourteen-year-old teenager who was continually bullied online, leading to her taking her own life. Her parents, Kate and Tick Everett, decided to change the culture of bullying by addressing its impact on children and young people throughout Australia. Anxiety, depression, and youth suicide were targeted by the Everetts. Through education and support provided to young people and their families, Dolly’s Dream came to fruition. It's now a well-known organisation called the Dolly’s Dream Foundation, which helps young people.
Last Friday, Dubbo’s Maas Group Holdings hosted a family fun day for their staff and families at the Dubbo Macquarie Club. Donations were collected at the event for the Dolly’s Dream Foundation. The event included fun activities such as barefoot bowls, a jumping castle, face painting, food trucks, and a kindness corner activity centre for children.
Maas intends to hold a series of family-friendly fundraisers across their Australian hubs, including Orange, Newcastle, Sydney, Brisbane, and Rockhampton, with a fundraising target of over $10,000. Maas will be matching a portion of national donations in the hope they can make an even bigger impact. Last year, Maas raised a total of $8,000, and this year, they are on track to well exceed that amount nationally.
"Being headquartered in regional Australia, we were aware of the tragic story of Dolly Everett. Bullying, anxiety, and depression have such an overwhelming flow-on effect, especially when it comes to young people. In regional communities, that impact can feel even greater," explained Andy Letfallah, Maas COO.
"Dolly’s story resonates strongly in regional towns, just like the one Dolly lived in herself," Andy said.
