On Wednesday, the Binghamton Athletics department’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation teamed up to hold the fifth annual “Brave a Shave.” The event featured a combination of students, student-athletes and local residents flocking to the Events Center to shave their heads to show solidarity in support of children suffering from pediatric cancer.
“This is my third year doing it,” said Matt Kaser, a junior majoring in political science. “I’ve got some family that have had cancer, so I think that anything you can do to support the cause and to go out and show people that they’re not alone is a great thing to do.”
As donors took the stage to have their heads shaved — often to the delight of friends and onlookers — the atmosphere at the Events Center became electric. Adding to the upbeat atmosphere were performances from the Binghamton Dance Team, as well as BU a cappella groups — the BinghamTonics and No Strings Attached. While the event garnered support for children suffering from cancer around the world, it also served to highlight the struggle of a local child, Gabriela Labisch of Vestal.
“She has leukemia that just came back after she was in remission for a little bit, so she’s in a hospital in Philadelphia, battling and getting treatment,” said Terrence Lollie, a co-SAAC adviser and key organizer of the event.
In terms of money raised, the event was a monumental success. The pre-event goal of $10,000 was shattered, as the final sum was double that figure. One group of local high school girls — Odyssey of the Spark — raised over $12,000 and participated in the hair shaving themselves.
“I think it’s wonderful,” Lollie said of the event. “We started in 2012 with our first event, we raised over $23,000 that year and we’ve been having one ever since. We’ve raised over $50,000 in our four years.”
A large theme of the day revolved around personal connections to the St. Baldrick’s cause, as numerous people in attendance were driven to donate through firsthand experience with individuals suffering from pediatric cancer.
“There’s a kid I go to church with at home who has leukemia,” Chris Ramsey said, a senior majoring in biomedical engineering. “Every year I try to come out and raise as much money as I can, because as far as charities go, it’s the one that hits home the closest to me.”
Binghamton softball junior pitcher Shelby Donhauser also connected with the event on a personal level and served as a key organizer.
“We have an adopted teammate named Kimmy Silott,” Donhauser said. “She was diagnosed with cancer very young and she’s battled through it and she’s cancer-free for two years now. We’ve adopted her onto our team and we always have her at our games. We gave her a championship ring last year, so it’s really great.”
While much of the spotlight was cast upon the donors, the event could not have been run as smoothly as it was without the barbers. Lyman Bothwell, who has been cutting hair for 27 years, worked his first-ever St. Baldrick’s event on Wednesday.
“It’s a really good experience and I’m all about it,” Bothwell said. “I like to do things that raise awareness, so that people care about human beings’ well-being. For me, that’s what it’s all about.”