Local 11 Year Old Aims to Raise $10,000 by Cutting His Hair!

Submitted Media Release

Brant County 11 Year-Old Wants to Fund a Classroom in Africa Ben Pickles plans to raise $10,000 before cutting his hair

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Grade 6 student Ben Pickles is planning to have a very expensive haircut. Pickles plans to raise $10,000 to build a classroom in Sierra Leone through WE Charity and when he reaches his goal Ben says he will cut his hair. “I have been growing my hair since 2014 and now I have decided it’s time for a change. I’ve been thinking cutting my hair for a while (mostly because I hate getting it brushed) and I have decided I want to do it for a cause.” Said Pickles. “My fundraiser is called “Locks for Learning” because that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to use my locks for learning.”

Ben launched Locks for Learning in September 2018 and has raised $2300 so far. As a kid who has made a local and global impact through Locks for Learning and his previous fundraising for refugee sponsorship, Ben was invited to WE Day Toronto on September 20, 2018. “The most impactful speaker for me was Mariatu Kamara, who survived the civil war in Sierra Leone despite losing both her hands. Her story reinforced for me why what I’m doing matters,” said Ben.

Sierra Leone is a country in Western Africa that has been ravaged by war and poverty. Between 1991 and 2002 a violent civil war raged. Even today – more than a decade since the end of the war Sierra Leone remains one of the poorest countries in the world. WE Charity works around the world to provide food, water, healthcare, education, and opportunity.

You can donate to Ben’s fundraiser online at crowdrise.com/benpickles and you can find him on Facebook (@locksforlearning), on Instagram (@locksforlearningfundraiser) and on YouTube (Locks for Learning).