How did St. Baldricks get started?
The event was the idea of a group of reinsurance executives in New York City, all with Irish roots. For years, they had been observing St. Patrick’s Day in the traditional way – pints at their favorite pub, with music and laughter in great supply. In appreciation of their own good fortune, they decided to find a way to help others, specifically children with cancer. On March 17, 2000, they turned their annual St. Patrick’s Day party into the first St.Baldrick’s event. They collected donations from people willing to see them and other volunteers shaved bald at the party, with funds going to support research for a cure. To their surprise, they far surpassed their $17,000 goal, raising more than $100,000 – and that was only the beginning! Over the past 10 years, more than $87 million has been raised to fight childhood cancer, with more than 144,000 shavees from all walks of life participating in hundreds of events around the world.
