St. Baldrick's Foundation

For the past 11 years I have helped a friend organized a local St. Baldrick's event. This is a great cause and I feel they really use their money well. I really like that they don't send me address labels, calendars, notepads, etc. throughout the year and ask for donations. I give my donations during our event, and I receive one newsletter during the year. Unlike other charities, they don't bombard me for donations throughout the year. I feel St. Baldrick's is a great organization.

The St. Baldrick's Foundation signature fundraising effort is head shaving events...to shave in solidarity with kids who have cancer. As the premier organization funding pediatric cancer research exclusively it is an honor to raise money for this charity-and shave my head. It will change your life. My son battled cancer for 3 years before he passed away and I credit St. Baldrick's with giving me a purpose and giving me hope for families that have yet to hear those dreaded words "your child has cancer." The entire journey is life changing and through most of the medical journey you feel like you have little control. Shaving my head helped me feel powerful. It is an awesome foundation where kids are at the heart of everything. With so little government funding and about zero pharmaceutical money to support research, St. Baldrick's has a huge mission and I am happy to do my part!

I have been a Volunteer Event Organizer for the St. Baldrick's Foundation since 2004, hosting an event in North Plainfield, NJ. My involvement with the SBF began simply as an effort to give back to the community, with no real tie to kids’ cancer. In fact, my only association with cancer, at that time, was that my mother is a cancer survivor. Since my two children are healthy, I feel even more compelled to help those whose kids are not. My good fortune affords me the time and energy to fight cancer on this front. Since 2004 I have had many opportunities to meet pediatric cancer survivors, pediatric oncologists and families of cancer survivors I otherwise would not have, if not for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. You can not meet these people without demanding yourself to do more, work harder, raise more money, raise more awareness. Participants at the North Plainfield Event have included celebrities, elected officials and, most impressive, cancer survivors. Some participants from our event have gone on to establish and host successful St. Baldrick's Events. The North Plainfield St. Baldrick's Day Event has raised over $250,000 in our 6 years for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. We are very proud of our association with the Foundation and our event has become a staple in our community, an anticipated event people go out of their way to attend year after year. It is a privledge to work on behalf of the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Their mission is clear and simple. Their support of our event is outstanding, no request ever goes unanswered, there is no shortage of support materials and the staff treats the organizers, Shavee's and volunteers like family. These individuals have impacted my life greatly. Their courage and strength is an inspiration.

As a pediatric oncology nurse, I have seen the trials and tribulations our children with cancer have had to face first hand. I can easily say that the St. Baldricks Foundation offers hope that children affected by this devastating disease may one day have a cure. We started holding our annual St. Balricks Fundraiser at Dell Children's Hospital in Austin Texas and have had such an amazing response from community and families. It seemed most people have known someone affected by cancer and wanted to come together to help raise money for a cure. People were so touched by our event, they were lining up to shave their heads on the spot. Many of our patients sat front row to witness the shavings and served as inspiration to our volunteers and shavees. I have volunteered the past four years for this amazing event and every year my heart is more touched and inspired for the cause.

I learned about St. Baldrick's Foundation in 2006 and it was as if I had found my second purpose in life!! I had not been so excited to be a part of something so great and so worth while!! This foundation gives me a way to suppoort kids all over the world that are experiencing what my brother and family went through 25 years ago while battling pediatric cancer. My brother did not win his battle with cancer, but through the funds raised and reseach done that this foundation supports...I know we will one day find a cure. St. Baldrick's gives hope to parents and kids who have been diagnosed with cancer. As a pediatric oncology nurse I have close contact to these families. When they participate in one of these events they see an entire community come together to support them and their child and it gives them a way to do something positive in a many times grim situation. St. Baldrick's provides excellent support of each event I have been a part of. Their guidance and supplies is what makes me able to coordinat these events. They are all about shaving the way to conquer kids cancer any way they can. I am privilaged to be a part of this cursade.

I have been affiliated with the St. Baldrick's Foundation since March 2004. My initial involvement was as a shavee, a volunteer fundraiser that shaved my head in exchange for donations. In the summer of 2004, several co-workers and I began the process of organizing an event in our town. The transition from subsidiary of CureSearch to an independent foundation was underway, and I was fortunate enough to be able to speak with the Director of the Foundation, as well as one of the Founders. In the five years that I have been actively involved with this group of people, I have never been disappointed in their passion for excellence. The leadership of the Foundation works to keep cost of fundraising in check, from cost saving efforts related to promotional items (i.e. organizers turn left over promotional products back to the local representative who moves it along to event organizers with later events) to communication methods (sending print copies of the annual report on as as requested basis rather than to every "stakeholder", instead offering the .pdf online for public viewing). From a standpoint of protecting privacy of the men, women, and children that are associated with the Foundation (shavees, barbers, and honored children alike), the Foundation has implemented a number of steps to limit opportunities for harassing behaviors directed at participants. Steps taken have included inviting members of the law enforcement community to weigh in on matters of security, encouraging shavees to avoid direct email contacts with supporters if not personally known to them, and using first letter of last name as the default for child shavees. The Foundation has added watermarking to all photos posted on their sites, but should continue to work on improving their security steps, to prevent posted photographs from being used for 'nefarious' purposes. I know over 400 people that have donated significantly in time, money, and merchandise to support this Foundation. In the six years I have been donating my time, I have found that each donation, not matter how large or small, is greatly appreciated and recognized as a gift in the direction of something great. While my activities are mostly done during the December through March time frame, I have found that the people with the Foundation are full time working to fund the cure for pediatric cancer. I initially got involved with this group because 160,000 kids each year are diagnosed with some form of cancer. In the USA, about 12,000 kids are diagnosed with some form of cancer, about two classrooms full of kids each day. The Foundation has raised over $50 Million since the first event in 2000, and continues to make progress toward that day the no kid dies of cancer. I highly recommend that Great Non Profits award the St.Baldrick's Foundation a Cancer Fighters Award. Thank you.