De Vere’s to host St. Baldrick’s Day events

De Vere’s Irish Pub at 217 E St. will be hosting St. Baldrick’s Day events in March. During the events, the community can come out and shave their heads while collecting donations for childhood cancer research.

St. Baldrick’s is a nonprofit foundation for childhood cancer research that encourages people to raise money to support a good cause, said Mari Tzikas, social media and marketing representative for St. Baldrick’s.

“It’s a great community service opportunity for students and they can give something back,” Tzikas said.

The event will occur on March 13 from 5 to 8 p.m. and Supercuts volunteers will be present to shave heads. There is another event at the pub’s Sacramento location, 1531 L St., on March 11 from 4 to 8 p.m. The goal for both events is to raise a combined total of $250,000.

“I think people agree that cancer has touched most people’s lives and it’s a terrible disease for anyone to go through,” said Henry de Vere White, co-owner of De Vere’s Irish Pub. “Anything we can do to raise money and help makes a difference.”

White’s father is an oncologist. White said this is partly what inspired him and his brothers to get involved with this event.

“It’s a powerful day when you see a 5-year-old girl show up to shave her head because she is a cancer survivor, while you have some 30-year-old men who are too scared to do it because of their ego,” White said.

This is the second year Davis has hosted the event, but the fourth year for De Vere’s Irish Pub overall.

Last year, the Sacramento location shaved 375 heads, and the Davis location shaved 100. White said the pub is hoping to surpass the Sacramento location this year and raise more than them.
People can sign up to shave their heads by going to getbald.com. The event is sponsored by the Keaton Raphael Memorial foundation, Sacramento Magazine and Yelp Sacramento.

“The money raised makes a huge impact and the event helps spread the word of cancer and keep research going,” said Dana Pearson, development coordinator at Keaton Raphael Memorial Foundation.

According to St. Baldrick’s Foundation, over 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer each year and more children die from cancer than any other disease.

“St. Baldrick’s is second only to the government in raising research dollars to fight cancer, and it also sends a huge statement to young children fighting this horrible disease,” White said. “St. Baldrick’s Day tells them that they are not alone, shows them that losing hair is OK and temporary, and most of all, inspires them to fight.”

PAAYAL ZAVERI can be reached at city@theaggie.org.