The University of Massachusetts campus will be seeing an influx of shaved heads come Sunday.
Members of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, along with the UMass Police Department, will be sporting their newly shaven heads at the fraternity’s fourth annual fundraising event for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation at Rafters Sports Bar & Restaurant beginning at 11 a.m.
“After the event our brothers will be walking around campus bald wearing a pin saying: ‘Ask me why I’m bald,’ and we will respond by saying that we are spreading awareness for childhood cancer,” said Anmol Sharma, the philanthropy head at Alpha Delta Phi.
Matt’s Barber Shop in Amherst as well as other local hair salons will be donating their services. Rafters will be donating a percentage of its earnings from that day to the charity as well.
“The most important thing to get across is moral support,” Alpha Delta Phi President Anthony Broding said of the meaning behind the fundraiser. “I’m sure the kids love hearing about all the money being donated to research, but the personal connections are much more meaningful.”
Sharma, said that along with the UMPD, the fraternity’s secondary goal in fundraising is to improve how people view UMass fraternities and police, saying that there is a somewhat negative view of the two.
“As far as the involvement from fraternities and sororities from UMass, it reflects well upon us all,” UMass police officer James Sullivan said. “It is nice to have UMass students working with us as collaborative partners and not as adversaries, even if it only lasts a few hours.”
As of Thursday night, Alpha Delta Phi had raised $2,160 of their $5,000 goal, according to their volunteer page on the St. Baldrick’s website. The fraternity hopes Sunday’s fundraising event will increase that number.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation raises thousands of dollars toward childhood cancer research annually and has secured more than $101 million in research grants since 2005, according to its Facebook page.
Fundraising for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is ongoing throughout the year. Last year, St. Baldrick’s raised about $75,000; this year’s goal is to raise at least that.
Daniel Maldonado can be reached at [email protected].
