Dear friends and family,

I wanted to point out a great event that several of our student clubs are co-sponsoring. They are raising money for research to find cures for childhood cancers. We all have had either one of more loved one, a friend or at least some one we know suffer from this devastating illness. It is hard on any one but it is especially difficult when the one suffering is a child. It is very difficult to hear about a child either suffering from or succumbing to cancer even if you don’t know them. I lost my father, father in law and grandmother to cancer and have had several cousins get diagnosed with it so this is very important to me. When the announcement first came out, I thought about just donating money as most of us do for such fundraisers. However, I felt like I needed to do more so after discussion with my family I decided to donate my hair. It might be trivial for some people to do that but you see I have not had my hair cut since I was in 9th grade. I have always loved long hair and would have grown it long even before I was 12 but my mom wouldn’t let me do that until I could take care of it myself. I am hopeful that it will grow back quickly but the upcoming event has already started giving me nightmares. My hope is that it will give someone suffering the side effects of chemotherapy a little something to be happy about. Dr. Henry has graciously agreed to not shave his head until February 28 and participate in the event by being a shavee. We are trying to donate some money for this cause. Please support me with a donation to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. This volunteer-driven charity funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U. S. government. Your gift will give hope to infants, children, teens and young adults fighting childhood cancers. So when I ask for your support, I'm really asking you to support these kids. Thank you! Click "Make a donation" to give online, or donate by phone or mail.