Abbie Johnson, a freshman at Leesville, shaved her head for St. Baldrick’s on Sunday, January 4. Johnson’s father has leukemia; she shaved her head in honor of him.
As well as shaving her head, Johnson also raised money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Johnson managed to raise $3,190 for the foundation through social media and friends.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a charity organization that raises money to research childhood cancer. The foundation chooses to focus on children’s cancer and not adult cancer because often other organizations choose to fund and research adult cancer. The foundation encourages people to raise money for a period of time, and then shave their heads at the end.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation hosts “head shaving events” where people can register and have “shavers” shave their heads for them. These events are held in many places, including malls and even restaurants. The first head shaving event was held in 2000, then one thing led to another, and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation was founded in 2004. Anyone can participate, from children to adults, and everyone is encouraged to. St. Baldrick’s aims to impact children’s cancer for the better.
