The annual St. Baldrick鈥檚 Day event was held Feb. 26 in Kornhauser Library Auditorium, generating $9,800 for the St. Baldrick鈥檚 Foundation. This was the fourth year that UofL medical students hosted a St. Baldrick鈥檚 event.
In exchange for donations, the participants鈥 heads were shaved completely or they cut their ponytails to donate hair to make wigs for children who have lost their hair as a result of cancer treatment.
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The effort is organized nationally each year by the St. Baldrick鈥檚 Foundation, founded by three reinsurance industry executives, Tim Kenny, John Bender and Enda McDonnell, in New York. The first St. Baldrick鈥檚 event in a Manhattan pub was timed with St. Patrick鈥檚 Day 2000.
Today, St. Baldrick鈥檚 is believed to be the largest volunteer fundraiser for childhood cancer research and second only to the federal government in the amount of funding provided to pediatric cancer researchers. Since 2005, St. Baldrick鈥檚 donors and volunteers have enabled the foundation to provide more than $127 million to grant recipients.
Some of that support comes back to UofL. In November 2014, the foundation awarded a $50,000 grant to UofL鈥檚 to provide support for a nurse coordinator for patients with neuroblastoma and sarcoma on clinical trials, providing them with additional access to those trials.
鈥淭he St. Baldrick鈥檚 Foundation grant helps children diagnosed with cancer to receive the best care here in Louisville,鈥 said pediatric oncologist at UofL. 鈥淲ith the grant we are ableto help more children and their families stay close to home to get the treatment they need.鈥
Donations to the students鈥 St. Baldrick鈥檚 effort are still be accepted online at .
