DMU students and faculty are shaving their heads or cutting and donating their hair to raise money for pediatric cancer research. It is all part of a philanthropic effort by our entire SOMA region (six osteopathic schools) to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Find out more here:
Starting after winter break, students and faculty formed teams, with at least one team member willing to shave or donate their hair. Each team set a fundraising goal and committed to shedding their locks if their team reached that goal. DMU has 76 participants and 14 teams registered for this event. Some of our VIP shavees and donors include Dr. Samina Akbar (microbiology) , who has not cut her hair since the 9th grade and will be donating her hair. First year D.O. student Laura Stearns will be shaving her head, James Yacko (facilities) will be shaving his head after not cutting his hair for nine years, and Dr. Michael Metts (pediatrician) is matching donations in order to keep his hair. To see all the DMU teams registered or donate, click here.
Everyone is having a blast preparing for our big event, and it is so great to see so many people involved in raising money for such a great cause. As I mentioned before, this is a collaboration (and competition) among all D.O. schools in the district stretching from Michigan to Texas. The overall fundraising goal for the region is $75,000. Of all the schools in our region, DMU is ahead in fundraising and is nearing its $10,000 goal. To track DMU’s progress and see how we stack up against the other schools click here.
On February 28, SOMA will hold a big St. Baldrick’s Day event in the SEC on campus from 12-6 p.m. During this event, we will have the family of a St. Baldrick’s Honored kid speak about their experience with cancer, have a buffet for participants that raised $50 or more, a silent auction, and even more fun. Haircuts and head shavings will take place throughout the event, with VIP cuts/shaves on the hour.
We are so happy with the response from our campus community, and would love to see even more people (including those in other DMU programs) get involved. Everyone is welcome at the event on February 28, and we look forward to seeing many more of you come and support this cause! Stay tuned for final fundraising results, photos and much more after the event.
