Ten Austin College students and faculty joined with the campus organization Rotaract to raise more than $3,000 in support of children’s cancer research this week. It’s easy to identify the fundraisers: each has a freshly shaved head.
For the ninth year, Rotaract hosted a St. Baldrick’s event, this year’s known as “Brave the Shave.”
Participants sought donations individually in advance of the event, and Rotaract collected donations on campus. The group raised just under $3,300. Austin College students have donated more than $20,000 through the annual events.
In addition to fundraising, the bald heads serve as an act of solidarity with kids who are battling cancer and have lost their hair through treatment.
Donations go to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. Since 2000 when the organization began as a challenge within a group of friends, more than 350,000 men, women and children have shaved their heads and raised funds in solidarity with children with cancer. Events have been held in dozens of countries and all across the United States. Volunteers have raised more than $203 million.
Austin College participants in 2017 included three individuals who understand the process well, having taken part multiple times. Ian MacFarlane, assistant professor of psychology, completed his fourth year of fundraising and shaving, raising nearly $1,000 in donations this spring. Seniors Jack Kannady and Rohail Rahman have each participated three years.
Peter Marks, assistant professor of psychology, joined the effort this spring as did sophomores Benjamin Bruce of Friendswood, Texas; Jacob Houck of Palestine, Texas; Dane Marwood of Flower Mound, Texas; Avery Parsons of Mesquite, Texas; and Faran Riyaz of Humble, Texas; and freshman Zoe Rice of Fort Worth, Texas.
Each year, one or two students donate hair to nonprofit organizations that create wigs for those in need. Avery Parsons told a Herald Democrat reporter that he had been growing his hair for about three years and would donate his 15-plus inches of hair to charity.
Shavee Jack Kannady was organizer for this year’s event and is president of Rotaract. Shavee Faran Riyaz served as a team captain.
Stylist Tracie Thompson of Travis Street Salon donated her time to shave the students’ heads.
Rotaract is the student arm of Rotary International. The groups bring young leaders together to work with communities, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service.
Austin College’s Rotaract members complete numerous service projects throughout the academic year. The group is sponsoring a Wheelchair Basketball tournament in conjunction with Greek Week to raise money for the Wheelchair Foundation. In that effort, the group has raised nearly $500 for people internationally who do not have the means to afford a wheelchair. The group’s sponsor, the Rotary Club of Grayson County, will match the student donation, resulting in $1,000 for the foundation.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 40 percent of students representing ethnic minorities. A residential student body of approximately 1,275 students and a faculty of more than 100 allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. The College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.