Hiram – On March 23, a head-shaving fundraiser in honor of this fictitious saint will be hosted by the Hiram Fire Department Fire Fighter Association’s (HFDFFA). So why host an event — especially one where people lose their hair — for a fake saint? Because more children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other disease and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a charity dedicated to raising money for childhood cancer research.
The name “St. Baldrick’s” is a combination of the words “bald” and “St. Patrick’s,” since the first head-shaving event was held on March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has funded more than $101 million to support the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts in the world. Last year, the HFDFFA held its first event for the charity, raising over $5,000. This year’s goal is to double that.
Joining the event this year will be Hiram Township Trustee, Steve Pancost. When asked to volunteer for the Hiram Fire Department Fire Fighter Association’s (HFDFFA) fundraiser, Pancost stated, “If it’s important to them, it’s important to me. This isn’t something the HFDFFA has to do but, in my mind, it’s just one more thing that shows how much they care for our community.”
Pancost went on to explain his esteem for the local fire fighters and EMS workers, who perform crucial jobs throughout our community — jobs that often go unappreciated until disaster strikes.
“I really can’t say enough good things about them. They earn and deserve all of our support every day,” concluded Pancost, referring to challenges the Department faces in keeping the community safe.
Another challenge — one they willingly solicited — was to host an unorthodox event to raise funds for childhood cancer reasearch. St. Baldrick’s head-shaving events have grown from a single event in 2000 to over 1,300 events nationally in 2012. The HFDFFA‘s St. Baldrick’s event will take place on Saturday, March 23rd at Slim & Jumbo’s in Garrettsville at 6:00pm. Once again, hair cuts will be provided by the women of the Hiram House Salon.
Pancost is one of thirteen men collecting donations for St. Baldrick’s. Others include: Team Captain Adam Melchi, Christopher Arner, Ray Collins, Tommy Canitia, Jerod Holtzman, Adam O’Connor, Shawn Parsons, Chris Sanchez, Steven Tayerle, Benjamin Welsh and Josh Wild. To find out more about the event, or to support any of these worthy gentlemen, call the Hiram Fire Department at (330) 569-9826, or visit www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/80620/2013.
