Shave for a Cure

15 March 2007

Shave for a Cure

Locks were lost, tresses were tinted and laughs were shared when Rio Tinto's Western Australian employees took part in the World's Greatest Shave 2007 to raise money for the Leukaemia Foundation.

Around 200 employees across the State went under the razor or spray can in exchange for donations from friends, family and fellow employees, with impressive results.

Some employees even said goodbye to beards and moustaches they had grown over many years, such as Pilbara Iron Managing Director Dave Smith who has a bare upper lip for the first time in 30 years.

Across 16 teams, employees raised $66,122, to which Rio Tinto donated a further $20,000 in support of the initiative, delivering a grand total of $86,122 to the Leukaemia Foundation.

Rio Tinto Minerals Salt Operations team post shave

The FM Nutters Club post shave

In 2008, Rio Tinto staff will be given the choice to take part in Shave for a Cure again or choose another team fundraising event to support through the company's Choose Your Own Charity initiative.

This programme gives staff the opportunity to vote on which fundraising events will be taken up and supported company-wide. Individual employees fundraising efforts are then matched with contributions from the company.

Choose Your Own Charity has been developed to support employees and the causes they are passionate about. Between four to six company-wide fundraising events will be selected in 2008.