NORWICH – In the ongoing battle against cancer, the St. Baldrick's Foundation is keeping childhood cancer at the forefront.
For 10 years, the St. Baldrick's Foundation has helped raise awareness of childhood cancer in the Chenango County area by advocating for promising research that will lead to a cure. Its mission is to lessen the impact of the disease nationwide by working closely with hospitals, pediatric oncologists, and volunteers in the local community through a one of a kind head shaving event.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation will once again bring its efforts to Chenango County during the annual head shaving fundraiser on Saturday, March 15, at the American Legion located at 29 Sheldon St., Norwich. Registration starts at 4 p.m., followed by head shaving at 5 p.m.
According to local St. Baldrick's coordinator A. Jones, this annual event has made a big splash in childhood cancer research, raising a total $166,000 in the Norwich area since 2004.
Nationwide, the St. Baldrick's Foundation has awarded $127 million in grants since 2005 – nearly $25 million of which was awarded in 2013 alone. The charity also allocated funds to 215 children's hospitals throughout the United States, which in turn benefitted millions of children diagnosed with cancer.
According to the St. Baldrick's Foundation website, fundraising efforts are a necessity as less than 4 percent of the National Cancer Institute's budget is directed to childhood cancer research. There are over a doze types of childhood cancer but in the last 20 years, only two new drugs have been developed specifically to treat children with cancer.
“There's a lot of awareness to cancer,” said Jones. “Unfortunately, there's less awareness to childhood cancers – and they are different. More children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other child disease combined. Worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes.”
Last year, the Norwich community raised a total $19,126 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, and shaved 35 heads – an amount Jones said is on par with the average numbers seen each year. But this year, the bar is set higher. Coordinators have an ambitious goal of raising $30,000 locally, which means recruiting more donors and cooperating more with local businesses in various fundraising events throughout the year.
Already, 33 people have committed to undergo the clippers next weekend, including 11 females and 11 people under the age of 18. That's an increase over last year, Jones pointed out.
In 2013, Jones and other St. Baldrick's volunteers undertook efforts to diversify the charity's presence in Chenango County. While the head shaving event remains the primary function for St. Baldrick's, a September 5K walk/run through the City of Norwich raised hundreds of dollars toward the cause. And various fundraisers with local businesses and nonprofits including the Chenango Arts Council, Nina's Restaurant in Norwich, and Gilligan's Restaurant in Sherburne was a big help too, said Jones.
“We don't want this to be a one-day event,” he added. “We want people to know this is something they can donate to year-round.”
Long-time St. Baldrick's participant and former coordinator Tracey Chawgo said efforts of St. Baldrick's don't stop at helping kids. “It's not just kids this is affects,” he said. “It's families. Everyone knows of the problems cancer brings kids, and it's something that has a huge impact on their entire family. Fortunately, Chenango County has been generous to support St. Baldrick's and there's a lot of people right here in this community who reap the benefits.”
Interested participants in the St. Baldrick's head shaving fundraiser are encouraged to pre-register by calling Jones at 336-2800. For more information, visit the St. Baldrick's Norwich chapter Facebook page, www.facebook.com/NorwichStBaldricks, and the St. Baldrick's Foundation website at www.stbaldricks.org.