Gilford shaves

In a follow-up to this post, the Citizen Online updates us on the wonderful shavers in Gilford, New Hampshire.

Those traveling in the Gilford area over the next few days may notice a larger number of people with shaved heads than is usual for a small New Hampshire town.

This is because many in town turned out Saturday at the Belknap County Sportsmen's Club and at Patrick's Pub and Eatery to benefit a national childhood cancer research foundation and a local boy who is currently battling brain cancer

[...]

Beland said that before Saturday's events, $10,000 had been raised for the St. Baldrick's fund and at least several thousand had been raised for the Palisi family. He said Saturday he did not know how much more was raised.

It's great to see so many people turn out and shave their heads for a good cause.

St. Baldrick's in August

St. Baldrick's Day events are often held near St. Patrick's Day, but can be held any time of the year. As I'm checking the news, I've noticed several St. Baldrick's stories appearing in August.

For instance, police officers and firefighters in Gilford, New Hampshire held a St. Baldrick's event on August 10th.

Today, also in Gilford, the folks at Patrick's Pub are holding another St. Baldrick's event. They're doing it to support 6-year-old Nicholas Palisi, who has completed conventional cancer treatments without success, and needs funds to try more experimental treatments.

And in Arbutus, Maryland, Kimberly DeBoy of the Cutting Edge salon is making plans for a big shaving event in 2006. The article has a brief history of the St. Baldrick's event, and then talks about DeBoy's experiences and plans for next year.

Nationally, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation reported raising over $5 million in 2005, with events in six countries. Sadly, Maryland boasts only one - the aforementioned Baltimore Baldies - which is why Kim has issued a challenge - she’d like to see other salons in the area organize their own events, and compete to see who can raise the most money and shave the most heads. "I’m grateful to have the opportunity to do this," she said. "It was amazing how many people wanted to help."

[...]

Although people can donate any time, and donations are coming in, Kim knows the real money comes from the event itself, and she and Candy are planning the 2006 shave-a-thon, which will come "as close to St. Patrick’s Day as we can." With a 900 sq. ft. shop, Kim is thinking about finding another, larger venue for next year, with more chairs, more barbers, and more heads ready to be shorn.

In other words: bigger, better and balder.

It's a great charity, and it's good to see St. Baldrick's busy throughout the year.

One shaved head = one wish

Matt Betler was going to shave his own head as part of a raffle to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation that he had organized for Bombardier. But then he spoke to his father, Bombardier president Ray Bettler.

"Matt was going to shave his head, and he came home and asked me if I wanted to, too," Betler said. "I told him I would do that if he could raise enough money for one wish (for Make-A-Wish Foundation). He asked me how much that was, and I told him $3,400. I figured I was in the clear."

The final total Matt Betler raised was in excess of $3,500.

And thus, a company president shaves his head, and that shaved head equals one wish. The Make-A-Wish Foundation grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.

It's nice to know that a simple haircut can make a big difference in someone's life, sometimes.

A straight razor for charity

If you're near Farmington, Maine, you might want to consider checking this out:

One of the few barbers left in the state skilled in plying the traditional straightedged razor to give a man a close shave is offering her skills to charity.

Jackie Tardif, head barber at Dick's Barber Shop on Broadway in Farmington, said she will be doing a full-face shave -- complete with hot-towel treatment -- with the proceeds, plus tips, to be donated to the Farmington Rotary Club to help the organization's many community service projects. The cost of the shave will be $12.

The event's happening July 29th from 6 to 10 pm at Farmington's annual Moonlight Madness.

There's no mention of shaving heads, but a full straight-razor shave is a rare-enough thing that you might want to take the opportunity and try it out. Why is it so rare?

Tardif learned the skill 36 years ago in barber school, and these days, there are few carrying on the tradition because it isn't being taught any more.

"There are no more barber schools. Back then, when we were in school, we had to do them from day one," she said.

The loss of traditional barbering skills has been noted before, of course. Finding a barber anywhere who will give a straight-razor shave is harder and harder. Fortunately for the people in Farmington, there's at least one that they can go to.

Mother and son shaved

From the Times-Tribune, we get the story of Shannon McKeel, a woman who shaved her head at a recent Relay for Life event for the American Cancer Society.

Shannon McKeel’s hair is about a quarter of an inch long this week. That’s about a quarter of an inch longer than on June 5 and a good deal shorter than on June 4.

Shannon, 36, of White Mills, Wayne County, is not a cancer survivor, but she wants to make sure more people are. Shaving her head was Shannon’s way - for this year - to make a difference.

It's pretty common these days to know someone who is suffering with cancer, and Shannon is no exception.

Shannon’s mom, Patricia McKeel, passed away of cancer in 1999. Her mother was a strong woman who quickly moved away from hiding hair loss from treatment under hats, Shannon said. "I’m proud of it," she said of her shaved head. "I don’t hide it at all - if I did it to wear wig or wear a hat, what good would it be?"

The family connections to this event go both ways, too.

Shannon’s 9-year-old son and relay walking partner, Walker Day, had his head shaved about a week before the relay.

I imagine that the pair of them made for a cute couple. Shannon managed to raise over $6000 for the Relay for Life, which is excellent.

St. Balrick's in July

We've talked about St. Baldrick's day before (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). It's a great head-shaving charity event that normally takes place around St. Patrick's day, but can be run at any time. Though I've read plenty of St. Baldrick's stories, none of them involved tattooing a leprechaun onto the scalp of any of the participants. At least, not until I read about Bonnie Otillo of Hyde Park.

Bonnie Otillo didn't get her last haircut and tattoo to be fashionable.

The mother of two had her head shaved and a small, bald leprechaun tattooed on the back of her head as the latest of her ongoing efforts to support children's cancer research and awareness.

Otillo, who has never known a child cancer patient personally, said she has become involved in helping children she has come to know through other groups such as Make a Child Smile and Hugs and Hope.

[...]

Otillo said women raise the most money because it is far less common to see one without hair.

St. Baldrick's events continue to raise money for childhood cancer research. It's a great cause, and it's great to see people so devoted to it.

Shaving records

Back in May, I mentioned the Geneva, New York Relay for Life and their record-setting headshave. A little while ago, I ran across an article about their desire to break that record at this year's event.

Arlene Eddington was satisfied last year when 135 people had their heads shaved as part of the local Relay for Life. In fact, it was good enough for the "Guinness Book of World Records."

But this year, she and Jen Harris, chairwoman of this year’s head-shaving event, are aiming for 200.

Apparently, they ended up with poor weather at this year's event, but still managed to get a good number of people shorn.

Harris stressed, however, that about 161 area residents still voluntarily had their heads shorn at the second annual shave-a-thon.

I hadn't run across any references to whether or not all of those were officially counted (last year's event had 185 shavees, but many were disqualified from the Guinness total for various reasons, including not having enough hair to start with).

While searching, I came across this page describing the 2004 event, which includes a big picture of some people getting shaved.

With any luck, they succeeded in their record-setting goals. Whether or not they did, though, they also managed to raise $65,000 for cancer research, which is substantially more important than any world records they might set for other things.

What's hair between friends?

From Prince Edward Island comes the story of Terri Anderson, who decided to shave her head to support a friend and raise some money for the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life at the same time.

But, says Anderson, shaving her head is only a small sacrifice compared to what her friend, Jane (she did not wish to have her last name used) has gone through in recent years.

Jane is currently fighting her second battle with breast cancer. She is in Halifax, undergoing chemo, as Anderson has her locks clipped.

"When she (Jane) told me that she had cancer again about a month and a half ago I thought I don't want her to be bald alone," says Anderson. "I thought if I am going to shave my hair off I'm going to get money for it."

Anderson managed to raise over $5000 through family, friends, and co-workers for the cause. She said that even if she hadn't reached her goal, she would have shaved her head for her friend.

Bluey Day

From v8x.com:

Autobarn Racing today announced a new partnership with the high profile children’s charity Bluey Day for the 2005 Police and Emergency Service Workers Head Shave on August 12th with regular Autobarn driver Alex Davison and fellow Autobarn supported V8 star Paul Dumbrell taking to the clippers shaving the heads of a trio of Bluey Day officers in a bid to enhance to awareness of the charity.

Bluey Day is a charity that has been raising money to help fund research, purchase equipment, and help support children with cancer and other life-threatening childhood illnesses. Police officers and members of Emergency Services all across Australia have been shaving their heads since 1995 as part of the annual event.

Bald as a horse

There are a lot of stories about cops shaving their heads for charity. The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle has a story about mounted police and their horses shaving their manes together.

But it's the long strands of this horse's jet-black mane that will help send a child to Disney World or on a date with a celebrity. And not just any child, but one with a special wish to offset the pain and anxiety of dealing with a long-term illness.

Because like many of these children, Myrtle and her rider will soon lose their hair. It's just another form of public service for these members of the Rochester Police Department Mounted Patrol.

They're raising money for the Dream Factory of Rochester, an organization that grants special wishes to children who are critically, chronically, and terminally ill.

The horses set this one apart from most of the similar charity ventures that I've read about. Apparently, horses used by the mounted police normally have their manes kept pretty short, so that their manes won't be pulled by people in crowd-control situations. For this event, the manes will be cut even shorter than normal.

When little things mean big things

I've posted links to several stories about principals shaving their heads for charities, but I think this is the first one that involves food. Today's story is about the students and principal of Roosevelt High School in Wyoming, who managed to collect a large amount of food for families in need.

Pickett told his students early this year that if they collected 1,000 pounds of nonperishable food and donated it to the Central Wyoming Rescue Mission, he'd shave his head and they could watch.

The first installment of 272 pounds of food was delivered on Feb. 1, 2005. Since then, a total of 1,000 pounds has been given, in addition to enough cash and change to purchase a bed at the mission.

"That's less than an ounce of hair on the floor there," Pickett said, after he'd been sprayed and rubbed down. "I traded an ounce of hair for 1,000 pounds of food. Needy families are the winners. But I'm not gonna make any more bets."

It's always good to hear these stories. Supporting the community's most vulnerable helps everyone.

Record-setting baldies

Folks in Geneva, New York are gearing up for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life head-shaving event, which will be June 17 and 18 this year. Last year's event set a world record:

[E]vent organizers say it was with the help of Newland and dedicated volunteers like her that they were able to get a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most heads shaved in one hour.

"The official tally was 135 heads shaved in one hour with 30 hairdressers cutting," said Linda Equinozzi, chairperson of last year’s event.

Equinozzi added that 188 people actually participated in the event, but that Guinness has pretty strict guidelines for each individual.

"There’s certain rules to how much hair you’re supposed to start out with," Equinozzi explained. "The whole thing is, you can’t be balding."

It's a nice article, with comments from participants as young as 9 years of age. They mention later in the article that the record may have been broken recently, but it hasn't been made official just yet.

Mom with a Mohawk

Writing in the Daily Southtown, Mark Konkol shares a special family moment.

Call it a tender moment - my Old Man gave Mom a Mohawk.

Her wavy black hair, you see, was falling victim to chemotherapy all over the bathroom floor.

"I'd had enough," she said. "I told him to get the clippers."

With his wife's head hovering over the laundry room sink, Dad fired up the sheers and gently gave her a Mr. T, mostly for the amusement of their only boy.

They laughed - like they always have during the 34 years together - and paused for snapshots before Dad went ahead and shaved the rest.

As difficult and challenging as living with Breast Cancer can be, this family finds a way to share love and laughter. This line struck me as particularly tender:

"You know it's love when your husband can shave your head and not make any snide remarks or anything," she said.

The article also talks about Jason Earkes and his efforts to raise money for cancer research. He's hoping to raise $50,000. The article also mentions his website, in case anyone would like to donate.

Bald in Brandon

When 13-year-old Andrew Nichols was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer, his classmates were concerned. "I felt sad because I knew I wouldn't be seeing him as much," said one of the students at New Era school. So the school got together and raised some money for Andrew and his family, and a little bit more.

Thirty students, including Slimmon, will also rally behind Andrew by shaving their heads on Monday.
"So Andrew doesn't have to be the only one without hair," said 12-year-old Ryan Thorpe. "And he won't feel uncomfortable."
Andrew's teacher Natasha Brancewicz-Lloyd said the kids were upset when the teen was first diagnosed and have rallied together.
"The whole community has just gone that extra mile," said Joanne Nichols.

Brandon's just down the road a bit from my city, so it feels closer to home than some of the other stories I've posted. No matter where you are, though, it's good to see people pulling together.

Shaving in Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay's Source has an article on a young woman who is shaving her head in memory of her friend and donating her hair to the Cancer Society's wig program. She's taking part in the Cops for Cancer fundraiser on May 7th.

Eleven-year old Elizabeth Haywood’s straightforward nature and composure didn’t falter as she talked quietly and simply about losing her friend in 2000 and why she wants to get her head shaved next weekend. At an age where many girls are preoccupied with appearances, hairstyles and clothes, it was rewarding and refreshing to meet and chat with this young lady whose modest confidence belies her tender age.

"When Andrew had cancer he started to go bald and he told me it bothered him. So I kind of felt, well, sort of sorry for him and for everybody who has cancer," Elizabeth explained. "I decided to do this because my hair is quite long and so, I just decided to cut it off."

That kind of compassion is always great to see. Way to go, Elizabeth; Andrew would be proud.

So would you?

The Omnibus Online (student newpaper of Southwest Baptist University) has a question for you:

Would you shave your head for money? How much money would it take--10 dollars, 50 dollars, 250 dollars? What if you could not keep the money for yourself? Would you still shave your head?

The article is about the Relay for Life fundraising event held in support of the American Cancer Society. So far, they've raised over $12,000 for the cause.

Guys and girls are competing for the privilege of shaving their heads. The guy and girl that raise the most funds will have their heads shaved (or had; the article is from Friday the 29th).

Shaving over the lunch hour

It's always good to see students learning the value of taking care of each other. The Arizona Republic shares the story of a school where the students shaved their heads to help their classmates.

Twenty-eight students and teachers at Sandra Day O'Connor High School went bald after they sold $2 chances to win a shot at shaving a participant's head.

Twenty-one male students, six male teachers and one female student shaved their heads during two lunch periods Friday.

The $700 raised from the ticket sales will benefit two O'Connor students in the homebound program who are battling cancer.

That's great work, folks.

Hair Cut-a-thon

RedlandsDailyFacts.com has the story of a Hair Cut-a-thon held in support of the Loma Linda-based Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of the Inland Empire.

Whenever Andrew Raad has been a patient at Loma Linda University Children's Hospital, where is being treated for leukemia, his mother holds his hand and comforts him.

This weekend, the 5-year-old Upland boy returned the favor.

"He came up to me and he said I'll hold your hand so you are not scared,'" said Maria Rivera-Raad, who shaved her head during a Hair Cut-a-thon in support of her son and other children battling cancer.

It was the organizations first-ever hair-cutting event, and it successfully raised over $8,000.

Still raising awareness

St. Patrick's Day may have passed a while ago, but St. Baldrick's events continue to raise money for childhood cancer research. The Western Courier has the story of a St. Baldrick's event at Western Illinois University that brought in $9000, almost double the original goal of $5000.

Bre Hoffman, freshman philosophy major, was one of the girls who chose to shave her head for the event.

"Everyone told me I shouldn't do it because I had such long hair," Hoffman said. "I did it because I wanted to help raise awareness about childhood cancer."

Though Hoffman has no personal connection to childhood cancer, she feels an obligation to help the cause. She said that since she shaved her head, she has been asked often why she did it. People then have to listen and learn about the fundraiser, which she hopes will help raise awareness.

"It's about time we found a cure for cancer, and if shaving my head helps, I'm willing to do it," Hoffman said. "If the fundraiser is still here in a few years when my hair is long again, I'll definitely get my head shaved again."

Way to go, Western Illinois!

Bald Aunt Donna

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has a beautiful story about a long-distance familial relationship.

With one e-mail, Donna Fahey went from "Great Aunt Donna" to "Mediocre Aunt Donna."

Yesterday she changed her image again, for a girl she hasn't met but loves superlatively.

Their relationship began in early 2003, when Fahey's 9-year-old third cousin, Taylor Adkins, was battling a brain tumor. The Hampton, Va., girl's ups and downs were followed by people all over the world via a Web site set up by one of her teachers.

Taylor and Donna established a long-distance relationship through the website. They bonded with humour and developed a real connection, even though they never met each other in person, or even spoke on the telephone.

Then, last April 30, Taylor died.

Fahey knew it was coming, but still was crushed. She thought, Taylor and I were having so much fun.

So dear had Taylor become to her, Fahey wanted to do something special to honor her.

When a relative called in February to ask, "How would you like to shave your head for Taylor?" Fahey said, "Sure!"

She shaved her head on March 20th at a St. Baldrick's day event, and her group managed to raise $2500 for childhood cancer research.