St. Baldrick’s Day shearing party attracts new volunteer “shavees”

Rick Harse, chief radiation therapist for UC Davis Cancer Center, is among the latest individuals to volunteer to have his head shaved for Sacramento’s third annual St. Baldrick’s Day public shearing party, which raises money for pediatric cancer research.

Harse joins Ralph deVere White, director of the UC Davis Cancer Center, as one of the “shavees” who are collecting donations in exchange for having their heads shaved. The shearing party will take place from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 18, at UC Davis Cancer Center, 4501 X St.

To part with your hair at the event, pre-register online at www.stbaldricks.org, click “Find an event,” select “Sacramento” as your location, and start collecting pledges. Check in at noon on the day of the event. Professionals from Trendsetters Salon in Sacramento will do the shaving. Bring family and friends to help cheer you on!

To support the cause without losing your locks, pay someone else to shave. A list of Sacramento "shavees" is available on the St. Baldrick’s web site. Click on “Make a Donation,” select your favorite “shavee,” and pledge online. To date, UC Davis Cancer Center has raised $1,035.

“We’ve made remarkable progress in research and treatment, but cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease in children,” said deVere White, who was born in Ireland. “Please join me in supporting St. Baldrick’s Day.”

Now its seventh year, St. Baldrick’s Day is celebrated in more than 200 communities around the country and has raised more than $12 million for pediatric cancer research. Most of the funds go to the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest pediatric cancer research organization. UC Davis Cancer Center and UC Davis Children’s Hospital are members of the Children’s Oncology Group.

The Keaton Raphael Memorial, a Roseville-based non-profit organization that supports research and programs for children with cancer in the greater Sacramento region, is the organizer of the UC Davis Cancer Center shaving party and another St. Baldrick’s Day event in Roseville. For more information about the local events, call (916) 784-6786 or e-mail Kim@ChildCancer.org.

Last year’s local St. Baldrick’s events raised nearly $95,000 for childhood cancer research. This year’s goal is $200,000.

UC Davis Cancer Center and UC Davis Children’s Hospital work together to provide the best care available for children with cancer. UC Davis Cancer Center is the region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center; with UC Davis Children’s Hospital, it is home to the region’s only Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program, the only Pediatric Hospice Program and the largest pediatric cancer clinical trials program. More than 400 children receive cancer treatment here each year.