St. Baldrick's Day participants shave heads for charity

As St. Baldrick’s Day celebrators sat in the back of Yogi’s Bar and Grill on Saturday, they enjoyed an unusual kind of entertainment: head shaving.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to conquering childhood cancer. The foundation generates more funds for childhood cancer research grants than any organization aside from the U.S. government.

Saturday marked the foundation’s first event in Bloomington. By the end of the night, 15 volunteers were newly bald, and the organization had raised more than $8,000.

Joe Bender, event coordinator and a manager of the IU Bookstore in the Indiana Memorial Union, recruited employees and students alike to participate in the event. Although he left the event with hair still on his head, Bender was the top donor with $2,745.

The organization was shaving heads for free, but most of the “shavees” had found multiple people to sponsor them.

IU sophomore and Union Board member George Thomas raised $1,223 for his haircut. Thomas said Bender recruited him to volunteer when he was speaking to Union Board. He was not sure what he was getting himself into, but he knew it was for a good cause.

“I don’t have much to complain about, and it’s for such a great cause,” Thomas said. “I’m completely healthy, and I have four younger siblings who are all healthy. This was just my chance to give back.”

Thomas walked into Yogi’s with a full head of dark, curly hair. By the time his head was shaved, he discovered he has a widow’s peak.

After a round of applause for Thomas, other volunteers joked about how his haircut had doubled the amount of hair collected on the ground.

Chris Gasser, the foundation’s treasurer, may not have had as much hair to give but still contributed to the cause. Gasser did not originally plan to have his head shaved, but he said he was peer pressured into it after a few beers.

Although the foundation did not reach its goal of raising $40,000, Bender said he looks forward to organizing a bigger event next year that does not conflict with finals week or commencement.

Thomas said he hopes to get more involved in philanthropic events like St. Baldrick’s Day in the future.

“I’ve been looking at the website, and I see all the kids that didn’t win their battle, and that really touches me,” Thomas said. “It’s so sad, and I want to do things for the kids. I know that’s IU Dance Marathon’s motto, but it’s true."