By Scott Brinton
Now the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District is combining its forces in the hope of raising $100,000 for the same cause.
All three district high schools -- Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham -- are taking part in the effort, along with the Merrick Avenue and Grand Avenue middle schools.
Next Thursday evening at Calhoun, Central District students and faculty members will again shave their heads after collecting pledges to support the St. Baldrick's Foundation, the world's largest nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for childhood cancer research. According to the foundation, 141 local residents have signed up to have their heads shaved, pledging nearly $11,000 to date.
Peter Magnuson, Calhoun's varsity lacrosse coach and an English teacher, and Joseph Bianca, the varsity football coach, organized last year's St. Baldrick's fundraiser. They spoke last week before the Calhoun senior class to encourage students to sign up for this year's event.
Magnuson assured students that their hair would grow back quickly. Magnuson, who had his head shaved last year, joked, "I'm 42 years old, and I was afraid it wouldn't grow back." It quite clearly did.
Bianca told the students, "You have a great opportunity to be a hero just by shaving your head."
Additionally at Kennedy and Mepham, school officials are organizing a Chop Your Locks for Charity event, sponsored in part by Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths. Students can donate eight or more inches of hair to the Beautiful Lengths campaign, which creates wigs for women suffering from cancer who lose their hair to chemotherapy.
Finally, the three high schools will take part in a district walk-a-thon on Saturday, March 15. The walk will start at 10 a.m. at Kennedy High School, head to Mepham and end at Calhoun. Proceeds from the event will go to Camp Adventure, a camp for young cancer patients and their siblings run by the American Cancer Society.
Merrick Avenue and Grand Avenue will hold walk-a-thons on school grounds.
To learn more about how to help, log onto www.stbaldricks.org or www.beautifullengths.com.
Comments about this story? SBrinton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 203.
