Emmaus High's 'Shave for the Brave' Raises $45K for Pediatric Cancer

Special to Patch By Chrissy Cilento, Emmaus High School Senior

They came in from the cold with hair, but on Friday night more than 120 students and others emerged from the Emmaus High School gym cue-ball bald after the third "Shave for the Brave" event supporting pediatric cancer research.

The event raised an estimated $45,000 for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, according to Shannon Petrunak, EHS track and field coach and the event's organizer.

“People were jumping into the barber chairs left and right, inspired by our brave honorees,” Petrunak said.

One student, Tim Farabaugh, came to the event with no intentions of shaving his head. But at the last minute he took the plunge because he was so touched by the children at the event.

“Today at shave for the brave a little girl walked up to me smiling. She asked if I was shaving my head and when I said no she looked upset, so I walked up to the stand and signed up. After I did it I found her and she touched my head and beaming said 'thank you' and gave me a hug. I don't know the little girl’s name but thank you for inspiring me to do something great,”  Farabaugh said on his Facebook page.

For many at the event, interacting with the kids battling cancer and hearing the stories of them and their families was truly powerful and inspiring.

Meghan Cilento, my sister, who shaved her head on Friday, said she had no problems parting with her hair, but when the kids talked about their experiences with cancer, she was moved to tears.

“Knowing that these kids are brave and selfless enough to tell everyone their stories made me realize that I can be brave and selfless enough to give up my hair and made me so proud to be a part of this incredible event,” she said.

Despite the somber stories of the kids and their families, their presence lead to many smiles and lots of hope.

Every shavee that I talked to said that the feeling the razor sliding over his head was completely exhilarating and that they felt incredibly honored to be able to make a difference in the lives of those children.

With the bravery of the shavees and their fundraising, the 2013 Shave for the Brave is estimated to have raised over $45,000 for the St. Baldrick’s foundation. With the money raised at the event, St. Baldrick’s will fund some of the most promising research to end the fight against pediatric cancers.

“Everyone really pulled through in the end! I would like to personally thank every volunteer, shavee and sponsor for his or her support—thank you for being a “hero” for kids with cancer as YOU made our event a success!”