BENNINGTON, Vt. – This past Saturday, twenty seven Southern Vermont College baseball members had their heads shaved after raising over $5,600 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation for childhood cancer research. Head coach Dave Gage, along with other members of the SVC Department of Athletics, and one player's father also partook in the event.
"I'm very proud of our guys for putting such a great cause high on their priority list," said head coach Dave Gage. "I hope that the fight against childhood cancer continues and eventually is won."
The team surpassed its goal of a collective $3,000 after having received donations totaling $2,240 as of last Monday. Two staff members from Shear Jazz in Bennington were at Bill Epstein Field to provide the buzz cuts for the players.
St. Baldrick's is a non-profit childhood cancer charity funding research to help find cures for children with cancer. The Foundation raises money for childhood cancer research primarily through head-shaving events. Volunteers, sponsored by family, friends and employers, shave their heads in solidarity with children who typically lose their hair during cancer treatment.
Events have taken place in all 50 US states and 28 countries. Since 2000, St. Baldrick's Foundation volunteers have organized nearly 4,200 head-shaving events and shaved over 190,500 heads, raising over $118 million for life-saving childhood cancer research. It is estimated that only four percent of all money raised for cancer research goes to childhood cancer, while St. Baldrick's provides 100 percent of its funds raised to the cause.
WCAX, the Burlington CBS Channel 3 affiliate, featured the story on the 6 p.m. news broadcast Monday evening.
Watch the video here