This Mall Rocks!

When the folks at Westfield Galleria of Roseville, CA host an event, they don’t do it halfway! On March 12, banners, signs and whimsical pillars and arches made of thousands of balloons made it impossible for anyone to miss what was going on in the mall’s center court. Floating over the stage was a balloon rainbow with a pot o’ gold at the end. Shavees strutted their stuff on the catwalk after leaving the barber chair. And thanks to a couple of big screens and a video crew high above it all, spectators were treated to a close-up view - normally reserved for rock concerts.

Robyn Raphael of the Keaton Raphael Memorial Foundation started this event back in 2003, when she went under the clippers, herself. Together with an army of volunteers (including the phenomenal staff of Westfield Galleria), she puts an uncanny amount of energy, creativity and passion into raising funds for life-saving research. The Roseville folks do this in memory of young Keaton, who lost his battle to neuroblastoma, and to help hundreds of families still fighting childhood cancer.

One of the 350 shavees this year was Andre Harris, Vice President of Brand Communications and Training, from the Westfield national office in Los Angeles. Andre had attended the Roseville event in 2010 and pledged to shave and raise funds in 2011. Months later, her own niece Matala was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Family members from near and far came to witness her tribute, and we hope Andre’s bald head will give Matala many smiles.