Richmond AFLW players Sarah Hosking, Courtney Wakefield and Ellie McKenzie have been announced as ambassadors for the third Do It For Dolly Day on Friday 14 May.

Dolly’s Dream is the preferred charity partner of Richmond’s AFLW team, an extension of the Club’s long-standing relationship with the Alannah & Madeline Foundation, which supports Dolly’s Dream.

Dolly’s Dream was established by Northern Territory couple Kate and Tick Everett in 2018, after their 14-year-old daughter Dolly took her own life following sustained and ongoing bullying. They were determined that no other family would suffer as they did.

Mother-of-two and star Richmond forward, Courtney Wakefield, in supporting the initiative said she wants kindness to come back into fashion.

“As a mum, I am trying to raise strong, kind and caring little humans,” she said.

“Raising children and making a living in outback New South Wales already sees us face many challenges on a regular basis. Bullying should not be on the top of the list of challenges we face, or that anyone faces for that matter.”

Sarah Hosking said she’s happy to be supporting the day and the fantastic message it sends to the community.

“The ‘Be Kind’ message is something everybody can relate to and put into practice every day. To me, it is about understanding the importance of our actions and having an awareness of how they can impact others,” she added.

“Online bullying is an unfortunate consequence of the evolution of social media and similar digital platforms. It has changed the way we interact with people and is something that many of us, our family and friends, have faced one way or another.

“But we can stop bullying by just being kind and having awareness of the power of our actions.”

Dolly’s Dream educates communities about bullying issues and advocates for bullying laws and regulations. It also works to change cultures.

The Everett’s chose the Alannah & Madeline Foundation to support Dolly’s Dream with the Foundation’s key message of “Be Kind” prominent.

Recent research revealed half of young people in Australia have experienced cyber bullying or other hurtful online behaviour in their lifetime, meaning it has never been more important for families to say ‘no more’ and to learn the seven signs that their child is being targeted.

“We know that only about half of teens who have been online bullied tell their parents about it,” Kate Everett said.

“Some teens hide their experiences of online bullying so well that their families have no idea anything is wrong. But many others show warning signs.

“This Do It For Dolly Day, Tick and I ask everyone to learn about the seven signs that your child is being bullied online.”

To learn the seven signs your child is being bullied and more about Do It For Dolly Day, visit dollysdream.org.au.