St. John's Students Shave Their Heads for St. Baldrick's
NEW YORK (WCBS 880) -- The latest buzz at St. John's University is all about shaving heads.
It had been nearly a year since Ben Kestinger last had his hair cut, so his thick, dark locks spilled down to his shoulders.
The St. John's student recently got his head shaved for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. He's raised nearly $1,200, reports WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
How does he feel freshly shorn for a charity?
"It's awesome. It's just really, really awesome," Kestinger said.
WCBS 880's Peter Haskell at the event.
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Thirty-six people have had their head shaved and more than $21,000 has been raised for the The St. Baldrick's Foundation, which helps fight childhood cancer. The foundation is a volunteer-driven fundraising program that began in 2000 when three reinsurance executives turned their St. Patrick's Day party into a head-shaving event to raise money for kids with cancer. That event was a success bringing in $104,000.
Since then, the foundation has raised more than $100 million.
St. John's soccer coach Dave Masur didn't just join his students, he was first up in the barber's chair.
"Everyone's been affected by cancer in some way, shape or form and so I thought it was a good opportunity for me to step up and hopefully get some attention on it and raise some money," Masur said.
Student Scott Patton told Haskell he got his head shaved to show his support for three relatives who battled cancer.
"I just want to make sure that they know that I support them and that I love them very much and I'll do anything that I can even though I can't be there with them," Patton said.
