Eighteen of Morgan Hill’s finest hit the streets with newly
shorn heads this week, after participating in a fundraising event
to show support for children with cancer.
Eighteen of Morgan Hill’s finest hit the streets with newly shorn heads this week, after participating in a fundraising event to show support for children with cancer.
The Morgan Hill Police Officers Association raised about $13,000 for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which will use the proceeds for ongoing childhood cancer research efforts. The foundation routinely organizes similar events throughout the country in solidarity with patients who commonly lose their hair through chemotherapy treatment.
POA president Scott Silva said the idea started as a small, private event with a more modest fundraising goal in honor of 4-year-old cancer patient Ryan Doyle of Pleasant Hill. Through subsequent outreach efforts, the event “mushroomed,” with donation pledges quickly climbing and “Scrubs” sitcom star Ken Jenkins attending.
Doyle’s mother said she was “floored” by the Morgan Hill POA’s and Tutta Bella’s eagerness to promote the cause of childhood cancer research.
“I’m honored they chose Ryan of all the people at St. Baldrick’s. It was gracious for them to invite us,” Patrice Doyle said. Her son, who assisted Tutta Bella Salon stylists in Saturday’s mass head-shaving, has been in treatment for leukemia for about 20 months.
“My heart goes out to all the families that have been affected by this deadly disease,” said POA president Scott Silva. “It’s been very rewarding for us. We’re more than happy to do it, and the officers jumped at the chance.”
Added Sgt. Jerry Neumayer, who also shaved his head Saturday, “Kids are innocent and haven’t had a chance to experience the world, and all of a sudden they’re stricken with a life-threatening disease. It’s not a whole lot we’re doing, but it’s nice to show support.”
Also in the process of publicizing the fundraiser, event organizers learned about two Morgan Hill children who are in treatment for different forms of childhood cancer. Fifteen-year-old Jordan Salazar was present briefly at a celebration at Poppy’s Bistro following the fundraiser. And 3-year-old Hailey Abrego is currently in treatment for a brain tumor, following surgery earlier this summer. She was able to make a short appearance Saturday, despite a morning treatment that likely exhausted her, according to her grandmother.
“(Saturday’s fundraiser) is awesome,” said Mercedes Perez, who has become involved in St. Baldrick’s and other foundations since her granddaughter became sick. “There’s not as much cancer research for children as there is for adults.”
Another way the fundraiser grew was when Michael Castelan, the formerly hirsute owner of Poppy’s Fish, Poultry and More, told his customers he would shave his 12-inch-plus ponytail if they produced a big enough donation.
“Our customers raised about $4,000,” Castelan said before sitting down in the stylist’s chair for his first haircut in three-and-a-half years Saturday. He also planned to donate his shorn hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit company that produces wigs for cancer patients who have lost their hair to chemotherapy and other treatment.
In coordination with the POA, St. Baldrick’s Foundation spearheaded fundraising efforts on its Web site, where donations could be made on behalf of individual officers who agreed to shave their heads. On Monday, the site reported $9,185 raised prior to Saturday’s event. That doesn’t include donations made in person to the POA and other shavees, or proceeds raised through a silent auction at Poppy’s after the shavings.
The scene inside Tutta Bella was chaotic Saturday morning, with the salon’s five chairs buzzing under the sounds of electric clippers and laughter for about an hour. Some of the shavees’ children or spouses assisted in the shavings.
Traffic officer Steve Pennington was shaved by his fiancee.
“All of us know somebody who has been affected by cancer, and we’ve seen what it does to a person,” Pennington said. “This is a good cause. I’m just hoping it grows back.”
According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among American children from newborns to 14. In 2008, it is estimated that more 10,000 new cases of childhood cancer were diagnosed. Through research and advances in treatment, the survival rate for all childhood cancers has improved in the past four decades, from about 50 percent in the 1970s to about 80 percent today, according to statistics on the institute’s Web site.
Another civilian who surrendered to an unexpectedly-met challenge was Morgan Hill State Farm Insurance agent Carl Schindler. He said the event was discussed at a Rotary Club event Friday, and he offered to shave his head if other Rotarians could raise $100.
“They raised that in about 60 seconds,” Schindler said.
