Arts & Entertainment
Shave Your Head for Cancer at Annual St. Baldrick's Fundraiser
St. Baldrick's Foundation to Hold Annual Head-Shaving Event
If you are looking for a fun family event with a purpose, look no further than ’s cancer fund-raiser at the in West Orange. On Sept. 24, the cancer charity will shave heads to help fund cutting-edge research in fighting childhood cancers.
Beginning at 3 p.m., the event will have food, face painting, silent auctions and a raffle drawing while shavees are receiving buzz cuts. In addition, there will be a number of performances from DJ Chris Segarro of Legendary Entertainment, acoustic performer Samuel Mann and bands the Poor Man’s Opera and Music for Grownups, among others.
While kids and families affected by cancer will be in attendance, the general public is encouraged to attend. Event organizer Kevin J. Kinney has shaved his head every year since 2006 and has this to say about why everyone should come out:
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"First and foremost it's a fun day. It's not a somber affair. We celebrate life and progress of children that are fighting or have beaten cancer."
St. Baldrick’s Foundation was started 11 years ago by John Bender, Tim Kenny and Enda McDonnell, when they began shaving heads for kids with cancer at a St. Patrick’s Day party. After raising more than a $100,000 from that single event, St. Baldrick’s Foundation was born. Since then, the foundation has raised more than $114 million and has participants all over the country. For its part, the Shillelagh Club has hosted the St. Baldrick’s fund-raiser since 2007 and raised nearly $300,000.
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If you'd like to have your scalp shined, register here, upload a photo of yourself and then encourage friends and family to donate money toward finding a cure for cancer. Kinney adds:
"We are always looking for shavees. The shavees are the heart and soul of a successful benefit. Each shavee solicits donations from their sphere of influence, and in turn, they get a buzz cut in solidarity with the children who lost their hair due to cancer treatment."
Going bald isn't the only way to participate. You can also serve as a volunteer by helping to organize, promote and take part in the event or donate money to St. Baldrick’s here. If you would like more information about this event, contact Kinney at kjkinney@aol.com or call (973) 214-0170.
