On March 18, some of the students, faculty and staff from Easton, Redding and Region 9 schools will volunteer to have their heads shaved to help raise awareness and money for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization devoted to funding research for finding cures for childhood cancer.
This is the 10th year Joel Barlow High School has hosted an event for the foundation. To date, the school has raised almost $150,000 to help find a cure for childhood cancers. This time, Barlow is not going it alone.
“This year we are teaming up with John Read and Helen Keller Middle Schools, so I think we are going to have a bus (full) of little kids come up and get their heads shaved at the high school, which is just so sweet,” said Laura Brown, a Barlow teacher who been helping run the fundraising event with fellow teacher Chris Angell.
Although Barlow has not hosted the event since 2020, Brown and the entire team are confident in their ability to raise funds. With three weeks to go, donors have raised almost a quarter of the event’s $10,000 goal.
“Raising $1,000 a month out of the event is a big deal,” said Brown. “But one of the nice things about the organization is that they are so well organized. A lot of the fundraising now happens virtually, meaning they collect and submit their funds.”
Helen Keller Middle School Principal Steve Clapp plans to have his head shaved for the cause.
“This year we are sending a couple of teachers, including me, to ‘scout’ the event with plans to have Hellen Keller Middle School be a ‘shave site’ next year,” said Clapp.
Although raising money is important, Brown said a main goal is also to spread awareness. As this is Barlow’s first time hosting in more than three years, Brown said everyone is eager to show the community how the school can contribute to the event. School staff has been promoting the event to encourage students to participate and support the effort. Current students may not be as aware of the event as past students have been.
“This year is a little different,” said Brown. “Every student in the school has never seen St. Baldrick’s at Barlow. Our seniors were freshmen in the 2020-21 school year and the event did not run.”
The event will take place on March 18 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Joel Barlow High School, 100 Black Rock Tpke, Redding. The community is invited to donate on St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s website and to get their heads shaved.
