PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — St. Brendan’s Inn has been fighting childhood cancer one strand of hair at a time.
About 75 people lined up to get the hair on their heads and faces shaved for the hotel and pub’s annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation head-shave event Sunday.
Ann Platte of Green Bay has taken the leap to shave her head the last 10 years.
The event has hit much closer to home for the last two years, with her granddaughter being diagnosed with cancer.
“We’re all going to be touched by cancer. One way or the other, it’s either going to be us, a family member, a neighbor, a friend,” said Platte. “All the time I’m reading about people being diagnosed with cancer and events like this are huge.”
Since the event’s creation in 2002, St. Brendan’s Inn says it has raised more than $1.6 million.
By noon on Sunday, they had raised more than $70,000 from pledges and donations to those getting shaved.
The money raised all goes to childhood cancer research.
“It’s humbling. All the money, I mean, it’s a nationwide foundation. It goes all over the country. I do know for sure both Bellin and St. Vincent’s have received grants as well. So, it’s local as well as nationwide.”
As for the hair being cut, it’s donated to Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids, a nonprofit which makes wigs for children struggling with hair loss due to cancer and other disorders.
Doug Zilz has been participating for the last 15 years.
He encourages everyone to do the same to support the common goal of supporting our youth.
“I’ve already lived a life. So, to give to these kids who are, you know, five years old and they’re going through cancer and they don’t even understand what’s going on. To give them a chance of hope that they might find a cure or they do have something to give them a cure and they get the remission that they’re going through is just an awesome thing,” said Zilz.
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