Highland-Pierron Fire Department St. Baldrick’s fundraiser raises over $4,000

In what has become an annual sign of spring, 21 local people gathered Saturday at the Highland-Pierron Fire Department (HPFD) Woodcrest firehouse to have their heads shaved. They raised $4,000 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity that supports childhood cancer research.

Locally, this marks the sixth year that HPFD has hosted the event, raising more than $43,000 along the way. St. Baldrick’s Foundation has strong roots in the first-responder community, which is obvious locally. Ten of Saturday’s participants were EMTs or paramedics with the city of Highland Fire Department, and six participants are firefighters with HPFD.

This year, four local participants were “knighted” to commemorate their seventh year each has raised money for St. Baldrick’s. Those who were knighted included Berta Perez, Stephen Clayton, Dennis Frailey and Brad Menz.

The HPFD was fundraiser was just one of the hundreds St. Baldrick’s events, which began in 1999, held nationwide.

“It’s good to see all of the people coming out to help, shave their heads, and donate to such a great cause,” said Anthony Perez, who has organized St. Baldrick’s events for several years, including this year. “I am happy to be an event organizer for so many years, and am always looking forward to next year.”

St. Baldrick’s Foundation exists because worldwide, 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year. In the U.S. alone, more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease — more than AIDS, asthma, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies and diabetes combined.

Visit stbaldricks.org for more information on the foundation, ways to donate, or if you’d like to participate in the future.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 8:40 AM with the headline "Highland-Pierron Fire Department St. Baldrick’s fundraiser raises over $4,000."