As part of the national Be Bold, Be Bald campaign Friday, Oct. 20, students at North showed their support for cancer patients by wearing bald caps and raising money for cancer charities.
Be Bold, Be Bald is a “fundraiser and event where you set up a donation page, and you choose where you would like your donations to go,” according to senior Noah Shanshiry. Along with raising funds for cancer charities, participants also wear bald caps to raise awareness of the treatment undergone by cancer patients.
Shanshiry organized a fundraiser and wore a bald cap on Friday to “celebrate [his cousin Victoria’s] progress,” according to his fundraiser page. All proceeds from his fundraiser will be sent to The Jimmy Fund, he said, although the specific cancer charity varies and is chosen independently by each participant.
He explained that “when you have cancer, there’s not really a choice about going bald or not.” Be Bold, Be Bald is one way for those with the choice to support and show solidarity for those without it. Participants can even wear a bald cap and organize a fundraiser without a particular individual in mind, he added.
A number of the members of the football team were also involved in the fundraiser. Senior Ernesto Perez explained that he participated in Be Bold, Be Bald after his grandmother “fought and won a battle with breast cancer,” which inspired him to start a fundraiser page, involve other members of the football team, put up posters around the school “to help raise awareness” of the fundraiser, and wear bald caps on Friday.
“Once I heard about this opportunity and amazing cause,” Perez said, “I took full advantage.”