The Shave-A-Thon raises an average of $60,000 to $65,000 every year to help fund childhood cancer research.
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AMHERST - David Mikos had no plans to shave off his brown, curly hair but then the Springfield College freshman he got an offer he couldn't refuse.
"One of my coaches offered me $100 so I had to," he said. "I liked my hair but it will grow back."
That $100 will be donated as part of an estimated $60,000 to $65,000 that was raised on Sunday to benefit St. Baldrick's Foundation, which offers grants to researchers trying to find cures and treatments for childhood cancer. This is the eighth year of the shave-a-thon, said Matt Malo, a police sergeant for the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Police Department, and the organizer.
For the Shave-A-Thon men, women and even children take donations from people who want them to shave their hair for the cause. The event is always held in honor of Luke Bradley,12, of South Hadley, who was first diagnosed with leukemia when he was 6, Malo said.
Many of the shaved heads belonged to police officers from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, who work with Malo. Amherst and Hadley officers also get involved in a big way and police officers and firefighters from multiple other towns from the large departments to towns many can't find on a map also volunteer to shave their hair, he said.
One of the ideas behind the shave-a-thon is children often lose their hair because of cancer treatments and this makes them feel less self-conscious or "weird" because everyone else is willing to shave off their hair as well, Malo said.
By 10:30 a.m. the group had raised at least $45,000 and Malo said he was hoping to raise $75,000 by the end of the day.
The exact amount raised or the number of people who had their heads shaved at the day-long event at Hangar Pub and Grill on Sunday won't likely be known until later. On average the event raises between $60,000 and $65,000 every year, he said.
"Every cent goes directly to St. Baldrick's," he said.
A number of volunteer hair stylists from Amherst, Hadley and other towns shaved head-after-head at the Hangar Pub and Grill while others milled around cheered on the newly-lockless. A few asked for more creative looks, including Mikos who left one strand of his hair long and his hairdresser spiked it up for him.
"He has been through more than anyone should have to go through," said Candy Gauthier, Luke's grandmother who was preparing to shave her white hair.
This year has been a difficult one for Luke, after being in remission, the cancer returned and then he contracted bacterial meningitis while in the hospital, she said.
"He has had four neurosurgeries in six weeks. He is tired but he is improving," Luke's father Ryan Bradley said.
Luke's whole family gets involved in the fundraiser. Bradley said he and another son were planning to shave their heads and his grandmother shaves hers every year.
In past years Gauthier allowed donors to decide if she should go "bald is beautiful" or chose other options which left her sporting a rainbow-dyed mohawk one year and a bright pink one another. This year she was thinking of having her grandson's name shaved onto the side of her skull.
While Bradley's mother passes on shaving her hair, her connections as an alumnus to Springfield College brings other benefits, Malo said.
"Thanks to Springfield College this place is really busy. They just showed up with a bus and the entire football team," Malo said.
When Luke was first diagnosed with leukemia, Football Coach Mike Cerasuolo learned the boy was a football fan and his mother is a Springfield College graduate. Ever since the team has essentially adopted Luke. He attends practices and games when he is physically able and spends time with the team. This year he was named most courageous player of the year, he said.
"Our kids have really embraced the effort to fight this awful disease," Cerasuolo said. "It is good to get them outside their world and working on a cause."
Between 75 and 80 players raised more than $18,000 together and they all arrived in a bus to shave their heads in support of their youngest teammate, he said.
Jonathan Weaver, a junior from Bolton, Conn., said one of the players alone raised more than $1,000 for the cause by putting it on Facebook and having friends from his hometown share information about the cause.
"We usually have a cancer game and we will visit him," he said of Luke. "He loves sports and we have a good time with him."