St. Baldrick’s event to shave heads for children’s cancer reasearch

Twenty-five years ago, the school yard challenge to shave one’s head turned into a worldwide push to find a cure to childhood cancers. On March 17, 2000, three colleagues — Tim Kenny, John Bender, and Enda McDonnell — set the goal of shaving 17 heads and raising $17,000 to help fund the research of the Children’s Oncology Group. After the St. Patrick’s Day crowd cleared from a pub in New York City, Kenny, Bender, and McDonnell pushed aside the tables and brought out the clippers. By the end of the night, these three men and their band of shavees raised $104,000.

In 2004, the volunteer-driven, St. Baldrick’s Foundation was established; its name combining “St. Patrick’s” with “bald.” St. Baldrick’s continues to use head-shaving events to support the kids who lose their hair during cancer treatments and to raise awareness and funds for pediatric cancer research. St. Baldrick’s has since given over $350 million in research grants, funding research projects in the U.S. and other countries. St. Baldrick’s is dedicated to finding cures for childhood cancers because every two minutes, somewhere in the world, a parent hears, “Your child has cancer.” In the U.S., one in five of these kids will not survive. For those who do survive, more than 99% have had chronic health problems by age 50.

On March 22, 2025, the Warwick Valley High School is hosting its first St. Baldrick’s Foundation event: The Great Shave-Off: Uniting Beauty and Bravery. Local barbers/hair stylists will work with WVHS cosmetology teacher Kathleen Bettello, and her cosmetology students to shave the heads of those who volunteer. Note: For safety reasons, there will be no razor skin shaves. Barbers will use clippers with or without a guard, depending on the shavee’s request.

Those interested in registering for this event as a shavee, barber, fundraiser, or volunteer can visit: stbaldricks.org/events/warwick25.