Shaving Heads For Childhood Cancer at JWY

The Bayport-Blue Point National Junior Honor Society raised more than $5,000 last Thursday night at its annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser at

Though only 35 heads were shaved, generous student and parent donors contributed to the growing total of $5,050 raised for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, an organization dedicated to curing children’s cancer and ensuring children get the needed treatments.

Event organizers and eighth grade math teachers Marybeth Lyons and Karen Hicks said this was only the second year the National Junior Honor Society hosted the event and they already doubled the amount raised.

“So many of our community members have been touched by cancer in some way,” Hicks said. “It meant a lot to our honor society members to put on an event like this again.”

Hicks said the honor society wished to dedicate the fundraiser to all community members who have lost a battle with cancer or know someone who has been touched by the brutal disease.

However, some students also wanted to specifically honor , the young student who lost her battle with cancer in June of 2011.

Hicks said each student in the school who wanted to participate was asked to try to raise a minimum of $50 for the cause. However, some students raised hundreds. William Zoller, a sixth grader, earned the spot as the top donor by raising more than $665 in honor of Carly.

Eighth grader Darren Plant said he finally decided to get rid of his long brown curly locks because he has known people who have died of cancer, including his grandmother. Originally, Dareen wanted to donate his hair to Locks of Love, but it was too curly and he was unable to donate it. Finally, he decided shaving his head for childhood cancer research was a better cause.

“Well, my hair’s a bit too big,” Darren joked, touching his untamable fro. “And I wanted to help kids with cancer.”

Kailey Spano, a National Junior Honor Society member, said she was happy with the turnout for the event and thinks it’s an important cause, especially in the Bayport-Blue Point community.

“We all know a lot of people that have cancer and really wanted to help kids we cancer,” she said. “We felt like it was a cause a lot of people could relate to.”