Joanne is one of our amazing team members at F&F and is a passionate vegan and animal lover. She is a caring, humble, person who never ceases to amaze you. Joanne is raising money for an animal sanctuary and has just shaved her head in support of them.
Joanne told us she was raising money for Lefky's Place, an animal sanctuary in VIC and when she reached $1000 she was shaving her beautiful hair off. How many people (women especially) would do that? Joanne even donated her hair. She's an inspiration and here is her story in Joanne's words.
"My name is Joanne. I’m from Sydney, Australia, and I’m fundraising for a refuge quite far from home, and one I have not, and never will be able to visit - Lefty’s Place Farm Sanctuary. How I got involved began back in 2013 when I stumbled across Tamara Kenneally’s photography on her Facebook page.
Tamara is a brilliant photographer; her riveting images coupled with honest insight compelled you to know more, and so I followed her work. Over the years she introduced me to so many animals through her images and words. Many faced such hardship and injustice, and my heart broke every time. Some animals she was able to save, and snapshots into their new lives at Lefty’s Place bring such joy into my life. The quirky, personable characters who call that sanctuary home, also found a place in my heart. They never failed to brighten up my day when I needed it.
But with all brilliance, comes those who are threatened by it. Because of her highly effective work (outside of work) in exposing animal cruelty, she has received threats to her safety and those living at Lefty’s Place. She is unable to accept visitors or volunteers to assist in taking care of the over 100 animals living there. She runs the place almost entirely alone ever since it began in 2011.
This severely limits her options when it comes to finding sources of funding, and running a sanctuary is no walk in the park. Small (and large) incidents stack up, and even working long hours cannot cover the current situation. Most urgently medical bills, medical supplies and food need to be paid for. For the future, upgrades such as a hay feeder for the sheep, and moving to a larger property needs to be considered.
When I decided to shave my hair, I decided to make it into something that could do good. Lefty’s Place was the first to come to mind. It is such a remarkable sanctuary, run by an amazing person who gives so much to the animals and to the community. In return, I want to be a means for some well-deserved relief for the residents at Lefty’s Place.
I am here for change."
Joanne Phan
This campaign is now over; thank you if you contributed.
