Community Corner
Going Bald For St. Baldrick’s
John Anderson (and dozens more) will get a close shave at the Shillelagh Club to raise money for kids with cancer.
Why would a bunch of right-minded individuals get together, in public, to have their heads shaved? For charity, of course!
September is and the Shillelagh Club of West Orange encourages the community to get involved in the fight against childhood cancer by supporting its St. Baldrick’s benefit at 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity that funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government.
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Volunteers, including John Anderson from Livingston, will sit side by side and face the clippers as part of the worldwide effort of Shaving the Way to Conquer Kids’ Cancer.
Anderson joined the Shillelagh Club a year ago when he attended the St. Baldrick’s event. "It really made an impact on me, seeing how organized and dedicated our group was, how much money we made, and how close we came ($98,000) to our goal of $100,000,” Anderson said.
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So far the Shillelagh Club has a few dozen “shavees” with more expected and, of course, welcome. The Club is also putting out an appeal to many area sports teams to join together and get shaven as a sign of team unity and to help the Club reach its goal.
“I have a lot of respect for Kevin Kinney, our chairman and the man who makes this event possible," Anderson said. "And I just feel that it is the right thing to do and will really make a difference.”
Speaking of Kinney, the chairman expects the St. Baldrick’s event to include lots of entertainment including a DJ, several bands, bagpipers and Irish step dancers as well as face painters for the kids. Food will be available for a modest donation to the charity. There will also be raffles for gift items (gift baskets, gift certificates) and silent auction of sports memorabilia and golf outings.
The Shillelagh Club (www.shillelaghclub.com) is located at 648 Prospect Ave. in West Orange. John Anderson’s webpage, where you can sponsor him for this event, is here.
Editor's Note: John Anderson is the nephew of Patch editor Marilyn Joyce Lehren. I can't wait to see his new 'do.
