Racine students, teachers go bald for a “life-shaving” cause

RACINE -- Close to three dozen students and staff at Walden Middle and High School in Racine took to the clippers Friday, shaving their heads to show support for kids who lost their hair due to cancer.

34 students, staff and parents participated in the event, including several woman and girls.

“It does feel weird without any hair,” said Lindsey Diel, a sixth-grader at Walden. “I had a lot of hair. It was down to my back, but it feels good to raise money.  It feels great.”

Diel alone raised $465 for the event.  Add that to the pool, and the entire school was able to donate more than $6,500 to the St. Baldrick's Foundation for childhood cancer research. “I just want kids to enjoy their lives and live a little longer knowing that they have a disease that they could die from,” Diel said.

For Principal Bob Holzem, the outpouring of support couldn't have been better because the cause hits close to home. “My son, Peter, died of cancer about seven years ago.  We have other staff members that have lost family members through cancer as well. It's not about learning, but learning in other ways.  That's what this facility does," Holzem said.

In fact, it was one student who brought up the idea to host a fundraiser at school. “It was really cool that I had an idea and that the whole school was backing me up on it.  It was just really exciting,” Teahelahn Keithrafferty said.

Since 2000, more than 189,000 people have shaved their heads for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, raising over $117-million for cancer research.