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Students having their heads shaved on St. Baldrick's Day, a fundraiser at Saint Rose to combat childhood cancer.

Each year, members of the Saint Rose community use their heads to fund research and raise awareness for childhood cancers.

On November 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., courageous souls will shave their heads in the annual St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser in the Events and Athletics Center’s Main Lounge while friends and classmates cheer them on. In addition to raising money for childhood cancer research, the “shavees” proudly sport their bald heads to remind people of the millions of young cancer patients, and what others can do to help. The fundraising goal for the Saint Rose event this year is $6,000.

Every two minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer, on average at the age of 6. Finding cures is challenging: Pharmaceutical companies focus virtually all their cancer research on adult patients, and childhood cancers are very different from the adult diseases. The nonprofit St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private organization focused on finding cures for childhood cancers, sponsors more than a thousand fundraising events across the country each year.

“One of my brother’s friends is a 17-year-old survivor of acute lymphoblastic leukemia,” said Theresa Belfance, one of the lead organizers for the the Saint Rose St. Baldrick’s event. “The St. Baldrick’s Foundation funded the clinical trial that helped him into remission. He is now doing things that any 17-year-old kid should be doing.”

To read more about why Crystal Plowinske ’18 chose to shave her head at last year’s event, check out this story.

How to help:

  • Become a “shavee”: Set up a fundraising page and trade your locks for a big smile.
  • Break open your wallet (or piggy bank): Sponsor a shavee. No donation is too small.
  • Spread the word: Tell friends, families, classmates, anyone you meet, and your social media followers about St. Baldrick’s.

Event Details

What: St. Baldrick’s Day fundraiser
Where: Events and Athletics Center’s Main Lounge
When: November 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Find more information here.