Team raises $10,000
It was a sobering month for Port Kennedy woman Jess Commons as she got on the wagon to raise more than $10,000 for Royal Perth Hospital.
Party girls Jess, her sisters Rachel and Renae, and friends Stephanie McLeod and Allyce Paulsen, decided to give up drinking for four weeks, in memory of the girls’ father John Commons, who lost his battle with cancer in April.
Team John raised much more than they ever could have imagined, Jess said, placing them in the top 10 Dry July fundraisers in Australia.
“Lots of people thought we wouldn’t be able to do it, because we all love drinking — I guess we are social drinkers — but we’re very social people,” she said.
“We never expected to raise so much.”
Renae said the whole family was devastated when much-loved dad John passed away just a few months after undergoing a double lung transplant. The girls decided to swing into action to raise funds for the oncology ward at Royal Perth Hospital.
“Dad was just awesome — he never had a bad word to say about anyone and was always smiling, even when he got sick,” Renae said.
“He just took it all in his stride, never complained, and never asked ‘why me?’
“It was difficult giving up drinking and I almost caved a couple of times, but I’m so happy we did it.”
Family friend Allyce said the girls had grown up together and ordinarily enjoyed catching up at weekends to enjoy a few drinks.
She believed Dry July would help them reduce the amount of alcohol they consumed.
