St. Baldrick Spinathon First to Raise Money for Childhood Cancer

For the last four years, Jennifer Willis has been the cheering section for her husband and son as they had their heads shaved to raise money for cancer research. Her family was not ready for her to make the leap to baldness, but she still somehow wanted to get involved.

 “My son and husband shaved their heads, and this will be their third year. I think it's great for the kids to do something that is not about them," Jen said.

 That idea has taken hold of her son, Seth, age 13, who explained his ongoing experiences with the event, and his deepening awareness of cancer in general. “I had a teammate on my 4th grade football team who didn’t return in 5th grade because he was diagnosed with leukemia. He and I started cub scouts together in first grade. His dad was our Den Leader. Luckily, his cancer is now in remission and it has been for a couple of months—I hope it stays that way forever.”

 Seth has since heard of many situations where children faced and overcame cancer. “There was this kid and he had brain cancer, but his dad, who was a neuro surgeon couldn’t fix it himself because he didn’t have enough money. The dad and a team of 5 shavees set up a shaving venue and in a few weeks they raised almost $20,000. At the shaving venue, the kid and his dad counted to three, and at the count of three, his son took off his hat. That story just reminds me of the beauty of it all, the reason I do it.”

 Seth and his father, Kent Willis, are planning their third annual shaving. Seth said, “Last year we raised over $3,000 and this year we raised a little more. My dad’s co-workers and our friends have been very generous. The president of my dad’s company also donates $500 to every shavee.”

 Not to be left behind, Jen called the St Baldricks Foundation and told them she wanted to help generate funds. As an exercise enthusiast and trainer at the Sportsplex on Stony Hill Road, she decided to organize a Spinathon. “A spinathon is an event where people rent a stationary bike. They have the option of just donating the money or taking a Spin Class. All donors will get a t-shirt and an intense workout on the bike.”

 Jen explained that each class is 50-55 minutes long, and the classes will be running all day long.

 Cindy Trinn, director of philanthropy at St Baldrick's, said this is the first spinathon ever for the organization, though they have had many other fundraisers. “We are the biggest funder of childhood research grants besides the US government,” Trinn said.

 The foundation was started 10 years ago by re-insurance executives of Irish descent who wanted to give back to their community. They held their first event on March 17, 2000, St Patrick's Day. Their goal was to recruit 17 shavees and raise $17,000. To their amazement, they raised over $104,000 that first year.

  Trinn explained in a telephone interview that there is no St. Baldricks. “St. Baldrick is a play on words.  It is about being bald on St. Patrick day.”

 Trinn said that since 2000, they have shaved 189,000 volunteers and raised $117 million.

 To participate in the Spinathon, come to the Sportsplex at 13 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, on St Patrick's Day. The suggested donation is $20.  For this donation, participants will receive a t-shirt & a wrist band. For nonmembers, this fee will cover a bike in a class.  To insure getting a seat, they should call 203-748-8600 and register. To find out more about St. Baldricks, click on the link to visit their website.