Couple raise 15K for Aussie wildfire relief
Sales of clothing with koala design exceed expectations
When Ross Wilson doodled a sketch of a koala bear on Friday night, he had no idea of the impact it would have halfway around the globe.
Wilson is an Ottawa barber-turned-philanthropist who over the past handful of years has championed such causes as free haircuts for the homeless, programs for children with cancer, tree-planting, animal welfare and preservation of the Amazonian rainforest.
It was his hope that he could sell clothing with his koala design and, with the profits, raise $5,000 for various GoFundMe projects in relief of the Australian wildfires that have so far claimed the lives of at least 25 people and an estimated half a billion animals.
By Monday morning, Wilson said he was amazed to discover that in under 48 hours he had tripled those expectations, raising $15,000 and leaving him and his wife, makeup artist and cosmetic tattooist Koreena King, scrambling to identify which GoFundMe campaigns to support.
“I put this little koala bear on some T-shirts and some apparel and thought I would give it a try,” he said. “I know I don’t have a lot of (social media) followers, I’m not a big deal; I’m just some guy and his wife who really want to give back but don’t know how.”
The clothing line is called Puff Puff Plant Canada (puffpuffplant. com), which Wilson set up after moving to Ottawa from Vancouver in 2018. The idea was that profits would go to Trees Canada for tree-planting, which soon after expanded to also include Amazon rainforest protection and, last week, Australia’s wildfires. He said they quickly sold out of their initial run of koala clothing, but have ordered more and are considering other designs.
“We did not expect this kind of love and support out there, but we’re working hard to get more in stock so we can keep this fundraiser going because, obviously, $15,000 raised in less than 48 hours shows that people really want to give to this fundraiser and to Australia.”
Wilson, who last year co-founded the Human Barber School, a four-week program to teach the basics of barbering, stressed that all of the money raised will go to those in need in Australia.
“This is not profit-driven at all. One-hundred per cent of the profits will fund projects in Australia.”
King added that rather than donate all of the proceeds to one organization, they’re looking to spread the wealth among smaller projects.
“We’re trying to look for organizations that aren’t being talked about, the more mom-and-pop organizations,” she said. “I’ve been scrolling through GoFundMe and Instagram trying to find individual causes.
“We are huge into animal adoption,” she added. “So our heartstrings are definitely being pulled in that direction.”
One specific GoFundMe fundraiser that Wilson and King have identified is Kempsey Fires — Vet Fees for Injured Animals, to which they donated $2,000 on Monday. They’ve also identified two others as potential recipients: Bushfire/ Drought — Farm Animal Rescue & Support, and the Animal Welfare League of New South Wales.
Wilson said that smart investing in such ventures as bitcoin and as a day-trader has allowed him the freedom to engage in such philanthropy. He said he tries to live life by the motto “memories, not money.”
“When all is said and done, a hole in the ground is the same for a rich man and a poor man. When I’m on my deathbed, I want to be able to say, ‘I did a pretty good job.’ ”
We did not expect this kind of love and support out there ... people really want to give to this fundraiser and to Australia.