By GRACE KING
STAFF WRITER
Colin Dowd ’16 has participated in St. Badrick’s Foundation Clips for Cancer event every year during his time at St. Lawrence. For him, the event is extremely personal. “I was once a childhood cancer patient and the kind of cancerous tumor amazed doctors around the country to the point where they had no name for it,” Dowd says.
Throughout his four years as a ‘shavee,’ the St. Baldrick’s designated term for those who shave their heads for the cause, Dowd himself has raised an incredible $9,000 for childhood cancer research. However, in his fourth and final year participating in Clips for Cancer at St. Lawrence, Dowd had the extensive support of his teammates and coach behind him in a remarkable way. This year, the entire men’s golf team joined their captain and teammate in “braving the shave.” Ten heads shaved and over $10,000 raised. Head coach Mary Lawrence also joined in the cause, one of the few women to participate in the event. She says she knew nothing of St. Baldrick’s or Colin’s fight before he arrived to St. Lawrence as a freshman, however, by the end of his junior year, she promised that if he were elected captain in his senior year, she would shave her head. The rest, as they say, is history.
“Having the whole team and coaches participate in the event with me this year was one of my most meaningful memories from my time at SLU,” Dowd said. “It was so special and heart warming to see how excited the guys and coaches were to support me and raise so much money for childhood cancer.”
The sixth annual event took place in the Winston Room on Friday, February 12, hosted by the Pre-Health Club at St. Lawrence.
In total, the event raised $13,500 through donations to those participating, unexpectedly surpassing the club’s goal of $10,000, showcasing how truly important this cause really is.
According to The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, “more children are lost to cancer in the U.S. than any other disease—in fact, more than many other childhood diseases combined.”
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation works to fund research to find a cure to childhood cancers. Since February 12, the temperature in wintry Canton has dropped significantly, and our campus shavees have all donned winter hats to cover what hair would have once protected them from the chilly air.
So, while their heads may be bare, the future for those fighting childhood cancer is full of promise thanks to their participation.