Roseanne’s Red Shield Appeal chocolate challenge
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Roseanne Randall absolutely loves chocolate (what’s not to love?!). On her first date with her husband of 35 years, they shared a hot chocolate, and it was a match made in heaven.
Over the past four years, the senior soldier from Kingborough-Huon Corps in Tasmania has tried to go without chocolate each year as a fundraiser for her local Red Shield Appeal.
She calls it her ‘TRYING not to eat chocolate challenge!’
The key word here is ‘trying’. You see, Roseanne has never successfully made it through her 15-day challenge.
But in an endearing way, Roseanne’s challenge, authentically shared with friends through daily Facebook posts, challenges the current culture of perfectionism and the dangerous belief that if you don’t succeed, you’re a ‘failure’.
Roseanne, who works as the Executive Assistant to the Tasmanian Divisional Commander in Hobart, said the idea for the challenge arose after The Salvation Army shifted from a door-to-door Red Shield Appeal doorknock to the ‘Digital Doorknock’ fundraising page.
“I really loved the Salvos doorknock,” said Roseanne. “When it changed to a digital doorknock, I was thinking, why are my friends just going to give me money if I just post a link on my Facebook? I like to show that I am donating myself [to the appeal].
“For people who know me, they know it’s a big deal for me to go without chocolate, so I thought I would commit to trying.”
Roseanne’s plan seemed simple enough: For 15 days, from 1-15 June, she aimed to abstain from eating chocolate or drinking hot chocolate.
She pledged on Facebook: “If I eventually, I mean accidentally, eat chocolate on any given day, I will instead donate $20, and $10 for a hot chocolate.”
Inviting her friends to support her, Roseanne set up a Salvation Army Digital Doorknock profile and shared the link with them.
The challenge started well. Six days in, though, there was a slight mishap ...
Facebook post:“In an effort to not eat chocolate, I bought a good-looking raspberry and white chocolate muffin by mistake … Then as I carefully carved out a piece of plain muffin, a small piece of the white chocolate crumbled off and fell to the kitchen bench. Next thing, quick as a flash, without any thought, like any good woman, it was cleared off the bench and into my mouth! … But I’m keeping calm and drinking my tea. $20 into my donation for the Red Shield Appeal!”
On day 11, a work colleague asked, “How’s your chocolate challenge going?” and that was all it took! “Then I started to think about chocolate!” Roseanne laments.
Facebook post: “Eventually, after lunch, as I placed my hot cup of tea on the coaster a kind person gave to me last year, I knew it was time to dig deep! Dig deeper for the Salvos Red Shield Appeal, and so, the chocolate was cracked open without another thought! Too easy today!”
With each slip, her fundraising total climbed higher as her friends encouraged her (or even teased her with Facebook comments featuring tantalising descriptions of the chocolate they were eating!). Roseanne said the temptations can be linked to other life struggles and show that we all face challenges, but even if we succumb, it’s about what you do next.
(Left) Roseanne’s Day 11 ‘slip’. (Right) On day 15, a colleague tempted Roseanne by leaving chocolate on her desk… what did she do? She waited!!
After day 15, with a whopping $700 having been raised for her local Red Shield Appeal, Roseanne’s challenge looked like this:
Facebook post: Day 1 - successful
Day 2 - successful
Day 3 - successful
Day 4 - successful
Day 5 - successful
Day 6 - FAILED. I believe that it was day 6 that I failed last year too!!
Day 7 - ACCIDENTALLY FAILED with the muffin!
Day 8 - successful
Day 9 - successful
Day 10 - successful
DAY 11 - successful
Day 12 - FAILED for all the right reasons! There are people who are really struggling and we need to be there for each other.
Day 13 - successful
Day 14 - INTENTIONALLY FAILED (did it for the kids )
Day 15 - successful
Roseanne celebrated with a hot chocolate and a chocolate! “I honestly am trying to do better with my chocolate consumption, and hope to eat less ongoing,” she said.
The ‘TRYING not to eat chocolate challenge’ is a reminder of God’s great love for us. He doesn’t wait until we are perfect before embracing us into his loving family, and every time we slip, his forgiveness is assured as we reset our eyes on Jesus, in trust and repentance.
“God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Good on you Roseanne!
(Left) Roseanne’s Day 10 Facebook post: “Sounds like the love of God! No wonder chocolate is soo good!” (Right) Roseanne’s love of chocolate even extends to a Cadbury tea towel.
