St. Baldrick’s shaves the day for children

By Ellen Crossley in Entertainment, Front Page on Mar 15, 2013 0:01 / comments

The Herd raised $20,000 in five hours for childhood cancer Wednesday when they shaved Boulder residents who traveled to the Dalton Trumbo Fountain Court outside the UMC.

Participants of the annual event, St. Baldrick’s Day, volunteered themselves as “shavees” and shaved their hair to donate and raise awareness.

“We have friend groups and fraternities come out and I think when others see students doing this it inspires them as well,” Sally Boelens, an environmental design major and CU Herd member, said.

St. Baldrick’s Day attracted 158 individuals this year. Team Androids, a group of four students, raised $1,030 dollars as a team and placed second among the 13 groups that participated.

“I knew that I was doing it last year, so this past year went crazy and dyed my hair crazy colors so that was fun,” junior mechanical engineering major and team captain of the Androids Ellen Reid said. “Now I’m going to have to get used to not defining my femininity by having hair.”

CU students participate in St. Baldrick’s Day in front of the UMC fountains on Wednesday. (Haleigh Jacobson/CU Independent).

One child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes, according to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, and Reid pointed out that it was easy for one person to make a difference in those people’s lives.

“Just by participating I’ve already had people ask me why I dyed my hair pink, and I tell them that I’m going to shave it and then I can explain and spread awareness, and that is the first step to getting funding and getting people to recognize that there is an issue” Reid, who also raised $655 individually, said.

On Broadway Salons helped shave participants at the festive event.

“It’s really cool that people are willing to go this far to show their support for childhood cancer and willingness to help a cause,” On Broadway Salon stylist Meg Kies said.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation gave cancer research facilities more than $25 million in 2012 alone. Find more information on the organization’s impact of funds from generosities like CU’s event here.

Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ellen Crossley at Ellen.crossley@colorado.edu.