March 17th - St. Patrick’s Day is the date of my coming into this world. It’s a fun day to celebrate. I can walk into any pub and announce, “It’s my Birthday” and the out come the cheers and the complimentary adult beverages. What a great day to be born. Several years ago I wanted to do something memorable on my Birthday. I was listening to a local radio personality in Denver by the name of Pete Boyles. He was talking about an event to be held at a Fado’s Irish Pub called St. Baldrick’s Day.
The name was so intriguing that I went on line and looked up St. Baldrick’s. I learned that the idea for the name came about when three reinsurance executives turned their industry's St. Patrick's Day party into a benefit for kids with cancer. In 1999, Tim Kenny challenged friends, John Bender and Enda McDonnell to find a way to give back to society. John suggested shaving Enda's head since kids typically lose their hair during cancer treatment. "People will gladly pay to see you bald, Enda!" Never one to miss an opportunity, Enda replied, "I will if you will," and St. Baldrick's was born.
I thought, if these guys could raise money for finding a cure to eradicate childhood cancer so could I. It was just the event I was looking for to make my Birthday memorable. Besides, hair grows back. I signed up for the event and started asking for donations for this wonderful cause. That first year I did not know what to expect. I arrived first thing in the morning at 6:00am. The volunteers were setting up and Pete Boyles was doing a live broadcast from the pub. There was a lot of excitement in the air. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to go through with it. I figured if I went first and got it over with it would be OK. They asked for the first volunteer and up I jumped.
The volunteer barber gave me a smile, covered me with an apron and started to buzz off all my hair. As the small crowd hollered with approval I had started laughing like crazy. It was all over in a few minutes. I now knew how a sheep felt when it got sheared and boy was my head cold. The applause was great. Several other Shavees gave me high fives as I walked past them. I had raised my first $500.00 for St. Baldrick’s. I was hooked. The most marvelous part of the event was when I meet several kid’s who had joined the festivities that had their cancer in remission. They came to thank everyone for being at the event. I felt rewarded for having done something I knew could make a difference.
That first year I did the event for fun. The following year I shaved my head in honor of the daughter of a friend of mine who was diagnosed with leukemia. St. Baldrick’s became more personal now. That year I shaved my head with a buddy and again it was a rewarding experience. I shared my experience with another friend in New Jersey and he was so intrigued he has started an event in his home town. It’s amazing how a small dare has grown into a major fundraising event to help a disease that should never have been.
Since the first event in 2000, St. Baldrick's volunteers have raised over $34 million for life-saving research and 2008 promises even more exciting progress. Every child, teen, and family deserves our very best effort to cure childhood cancer, and that's just what they'll get from the St. Baldrick's community!
I look forward to doing my part this year. Raising money and awareness to find a cure, help a kid and ease a families burden. So as your raising a toast to the honorable St. Patrick this year, why not make a donation to St. Baldrick’s Foundation. For the price of a six pack you can make a contribution.
Here is the website to donate. http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/shavee_info.html?ParticipantKey=200821087
Thank you.
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