James is from Dunsborough, in the South West region of Western Australia. Upon suffering cancer himself, and losing family and friends to the disease, James despaired at how we struggle to treat many forms of cancer. For example, aggressive neuroblastoma has a survival rate of less than 50%, which drops to less than 15% if the child relapses – and the average age of diagnosis is just 2 years old.
He saw the need for further research into children’s cancer, in order to find a cure as soon as possible. The last 20-30 years have seen breakthrough treatments in some areas, and the results are tangible. However – more funds are needed urgently, as this often overlooked area struggles to obtain the required resources .
James said “Having lost both family and friends to the devastating effects of cancer, I saw that more funds were needed to reduce mortality rates – particularly amongst children. Having three daughters of my own, it’s a cause which is close to my heart”.
Thus Janubeard was born, a chance to let it grow, get hairy and raise money whilst doing so – beard bromance has never sounded so good!
Janubeard has now developed from an excuse for blokes not to shave in January, to a global cause battling children’s cancer which doesn’t exclude anyone based on gender, age or species.
Julianna Baird
Jules is our Project Coordinator, assisting with marketing, events and admin on a pro bono basis.
Kudos to the Random Hacks of Kindness Team in Sydney, who helped design the Janubeard website, branding and of course ‘The Beardometer’, all provided Pro Bono to support this worthy cause. Thanks guys!
Ben Edwards
Ben used his legendary design skills put together our fantastic Vimeo clip – thanks BeDesign, we salute you!
