DUBLIN, Ohio — One charity is raising money by getting volunteers to shave their heads in solidarity of kids going through cancer treatments.

What You Need To Know

  • The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer donor powered charity

  • They raise money by getting volunteers to shave their heads in solidarity of kids going through cancer treatments

  • The Dublin Irish Festival is the first festival the St. Baldrick's Foundation has ever attended with a booth

It may look small, but the difference that it’s making all across the country is large. 

Tyler Abrams has been volunteering with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for over 20 years. He shaves his head every year during the Conquer Kids’ Cancer campaign event and volunteers all year round. The beginning of his twenty-two-year journey started at a pub. 

“I would love to say I got involved for, you know, to honor a kid or do it for the right reasons. But really, I was at a pub and somebody offered me a beer to shave my head and I said, ‘Let’s do this,’” said St. Baldrick’s Foundation volunteer, Tyler Abrams.   

But ever since he started, he has grown a love for helping kids and families combatting cancer. Abrams says every family feels like a piece of his family and his years of volunteerism stems personal experiences. 

“Growing up, I did have a dear friend of a who lost his son to brain cancer. I remember coaching that kid, coaching that kid at baseball. We had another honored child who came to our events for a number of years and ultimately we lost him,” said Abrams. 

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation serves families all over the country and is the largest charity source of childhood specific research grants in the U.S. and second in the world. 

“Less than 4% of all cancer research goes towards kids. So we’ve been very focused on funding that research, but we’ve also been working with politicians and actually getting them to step up,” said the director of business development for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Michael Fiscus. 

This is the first festival the foundation has ever attended and, according to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation director of development, Michael Fiscus, the community has been very receptive and excited that they are in attendance. 

“But so many people came up, they didn’t know about it, got excited about it. I think their event in Columbus here is going to see a big jump next year,” said Fiscus. 

Shaving heads while saving lives, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is making a difference for children all over the world. If you couldn’t attend the festival this weekend, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation has a head-shaving event next year in March at Fado’s Irish Pub at Easton Towne center. 

To learn more, click here.