Teachers, students to shave heads to raise money for Charity Bash

Robert Knuth, history teacher Fundraising goal: $700
Robert Knuth, history teacher
Fundraising goal: $700
Mr. Ternes, history teacher Fundraising goal: $1,000
Mr. Ternes, history teacher
Fundraising goal: $1,000
Mike Bale, art teacher Fundraising goal: $100
Mike Bale, art teacher
Fundraising goal: $100
Michael Kaufman, history teacher Fundraising goal: as much as possible
Michael Kaufman, history teacher
Fundraising goal: as much as possible
IMG_6398 (Medium)
Terry Geoghegan, social studies teacher Fundraising goal: $1000
Cade Ryan, freshman Fundraising goal: $700
Cade Ryan, freshman
Fundraising goal: $700
Margaret Koy, math teacher Fundraising goal: $500
Margaret Koy, math teacher
Fundraising goal: $500
Julie Snyder, Special Education job coach Fundraising goal: $5000
Julie Snyder, Special Education job coach
Fundraising goal: $5000

Thirteen teachers and three students are committing to shaving their heads in order to raise money for St. Baldrick’s, the charity chosen for Charity Bash this year.

Chris Bennett, history teacher and Student Council sponsor, hopes that this will help to raise funds as well as awareness for a great cause.

“I like Charity Bash because it brings the school together for a charitable organization that helps kids,” Bennett said. “We strongly believe in kids helping kids, and every charity we have raised money for has helped Lake Zurich kids to deal with the problems they face.”

Bear Facts talked to the teachers and students who have committed to shaving their heads about their fundraising goals, hopes, and fears about losing their hair.

 

Name: Michael Kaufman

Title: Social Studies teacher, coach for girls’ basketball

Fundraising goal: as much as possible (will shave regardless)

Q: How did the opportunity to shave your head for Charity Bash come up?

A: “Well the Staff Spirit Squad wanted to contribute to Charity Bash as a staff to show we have school spirit as well even though we’re teachers. So we decided that some of us would shave our heads for that and then it just snowballed into the assembly when some other teachers wanted to do it that didn’t know about what the Spirit Squad was doing.”

Q: Who is in the Spirit Squad?

A: “All teachers are on Spirit Squad based on being staff members, but how much they participate is up to them. So the teachers that participate a little bit more decided on the head shaving initially, however those that are not as involved joined in too making this a school wide thing. I think it was Julie Theis, the mom who first announced she was shaving her head and she ask other teachers to do the same. And I said why not, I mean it’s only hair, it’ll grow back ”

Q: What is your fundraising goal?

A: “My goal is to raise as much money as I can for St. Baldrick’s, but I will be shaving my head regardless since it’s for a good cause. This is not only for solidarity, but for enjoyment of the student body as well. I have no problem doing things to add to the cause no matter how much money I make.”

Q: How will this cause student enjoyment because I’m aware you’ve shaved your head in the past?

A: “Yes I shave my head all the time, however I figured to make it special this time I’ll leave a L and a Z to show the school spirit so there will be everything around the L and the Z shaved off. I think it’s daring to shave your head if that’s not your hairstyle, but as crazy as I am I’ll shave a L and a Z out of my hair for this cause.”

Q: Was there a specific moment that inspired you to shave off your hair?

A: “I’m all for school spirit, bringing the student body and staff together to enhance the school spirit I’m all for it. So it was just the idea of [shaving your head] for this cause and the assembly just solidified my thoughts on shaving my head for childhood cancer. It’s not just for school spirit though it also raises awareness and questions as to why I have a LZ on my head, then I can tell them about [St. Baldrick’s].”

Q: Anything you’d like to add?

A: “Each teachers are collecting on their own, I have my little bin with a picture of what I’d look like with an LZ on my head and I just asking everyone to donate what they can, that could mean loose change, dollars bills, or whatever it could be because every little bit helps. I mean there’s not a minimum or maximum amount that can’t go to help this great cause.”

Name: Margaret Koy

Title: Math teacher

Fundraising goal: $500

Q: How have you been trying to reach this goal?

A: “Soliciting my students! ‘You guys want to see me green? Pay up!’ That’s basically it.”

Q: How are you going to go green?

A: “The hair, you know they have those sprays, so it’ll wash out. I’ve never done it, but probably a spray. I actually have a former student who goes to cosmetology school and I might have her do the green. My face will be green, I’m sure there is green makeup paint somewhere and then for clothes I’ll just go to Michael’s and find a green t-shirt and green sweats or something. The point is just to be green for the day. I don’t actually own green clothing! Hopefully I won’t have to stop at the grocery store on the way home, that would be kind of interesting.”

Q: Do you have a special connection to St. Baldrick’s?

A: “No, but I subbed in a district where they actually did the head shaving and I was at that school a lot actually, a lot. And I know that some of the teachers there did it and it was a big deal. It was a big deal to collect the money. And I know one of the students who spoke at the assembly, I had her in a class a couple years ago. I had Megan, so I think of Megan.”

Q: Any inspirations to do this?

A: “Because I can. It seems like a simple, not very big, thing to do. Even head shaving, if I wasn’t so vain, would not be that big of a deal, compared to what people go through. So it’s just something small that I can do.”

Q: What will you do if you don’t reach your goal?

A: “All the money will still go there anyway, you’re going to get something. You can give them something. It’s a win-win situation, all the money will still go to St. Baldrick’s.”

Q: What got you excited to do this?

A: “Because it’s different. It’s not going to be same old everyday. You’re going to be green! It’s a different experience. Plus the thought of helping. I don’t have a ton of money to give myself so it feels good to at least help raise the money. I feel like I’m contributing somehow. Even if it is small.”

Name: Terry Geoghegan

Title: Social Studies teacher and golf coach

Fundraising goal:$1,000

Q:Why did you choose your fundraising goal?

A:”It seemed hopefully realistic. I had a couple of buddies doing it and they also put their goal at a thousand dollars.”

Q: How will you react if you reach your goal?

A: “I think that’d be great. I’m prepared to do it one way or another.”

Q:What inspired you to be involved in this activity?

A: “I have taught for 22 years and I have had a number of students who have had to deal with cancer and that stinks. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer right before school started, so she had a double mastectomy and she just finished her last chemotherapy treatment about a week ago. Clearly [this issue] is fresh in our minds. When her hair was falling out, I took the clippers out and shaved her head. I had to shave it all off, I was willing to do it with her, but she didn’t want me to. So, if I could raise money to support this charity then that would be good.”

Q: What is your biggest fear with this activity?

A: “I don’t have any. [My hair] will grow back.”

Q: What is your biggest hope for this activity?

A:”I hope that they could find a cure a year sooner, or even one month sooner. My wife has a type of breast cancer that twenty percent of women have. Two years ago, they had a treatment, but they didn’t have as good as a treatment as they do now. And that sucks if you had it three or four years ago. Your survival or success rate was much lower than it is today. I know my wife is going to do well.”

Q:Why should students and faculty donate to this charity?

A:”I have a buddy who had a daughter [who] went through cancer. When I saw him over the holidays, I told him I apologized, because I didn’t understand what he was going through. I was there but I wasn’t there enough. Now that I have gone through it, it’s like being a part of a club that nobody wants to be a part of. But now that you’re in, you want to help others get through it. If I could help other people go through this then that’s what this is about. I mean what’s normal after cancer? If we can avoid people going through this in the first place: that’s awesome.”

Name: Robert Knuth

Title: Social Studies teacher

Fundraising goal: as much as possible

Q: What made you want to shave your head for the St. Baldricks Foundation?

A: “I’ve always participated in Charity Bash. All of our causes have been really good. Normally, I’m not the kind of guy that would just go and shave my head, but I had Michaela Cecala last year in history and she missed the last two and a half months of junior year of history with leukemia. She’s the one that spoke at the assembly. The dark haired girl. I went to visit her twice in the hospital, and I figured ‘well, it’s a good cause,’. Then when I found out more about St. Baldrick’s, I said ‘you know what? This is definitely worth it,’. Childhood cancer doesn’t get funded anywhere else so if I can raise some money, I’m good to go. I have $151.02 from donations here at school, and I have $70 from my ‘go fund’ site. I actually did a ‘go fund me’, which is what people do. I figured if they can get fluffy the cat $7,000, it can get St. Baldrick’s some money.”

Q: What is your biggest fear for this Charity Bash?

A: “No fears. Mr. Bennett has been doing this for a number of years. I missed a couple of years because of the army. When I was gone, but all of them have been amazing. I think the student’s are really into it. I’d like to see more people-besides student council-step up, and do more. The P.E. Leaders do the volleyball thing, but in previous Charity Bash’s there’s been a whole lot more stuff at lunch time. Pie in the face, you know teachers get in and you get to throw whip cream pie in their face, or different kinds of contests like Bago or something like that where they can compete. The scholastic bowl people do their scholastic bowl thing, and there’s a lot of things right now. My biggest fear is that it would probably become clichi, and it’s like ‘yeah yeah whatever, Charity Bash,’. It needs to stay fresh; it needs to stay new, because what we’re doing is for kids.”

Q: What’s your biggest hope?

A: “My biggest hope is that we’ll actually beat the record that we set for Ronald McDonald foundation. $45,000 is a lot of money. I know Mrs. Stewarts got $1000 to get her head shaved. I’ve got 220 some dollars with different things. I think it’s going to be neat. I want to see the auction wall. My biggest hope also is that the more students get involved, I hope that more students will go out and solicit prizes for the auction wall, or mom and dad’s business, or get the word out to the community. We have great community support for all of the stuff we do here, but this is like our one big push for doing something for other people that’s not about the high school.”

Q: What if you don’t raise enough money?

A: “We’re going to raise money. It doesn’t matter. I’m getting my head shaved no matter what. If I get $220, I will still get my head shaved. Every little bit helps. It would be great to hand St. Baldrick’s a check for $200,000, because we raised money from ‘go fund me’s and donations from abit and bakster, and all like that. Whatever we raise will help, because I looked on St. Baldrick’s. There are 30 or 40 other fundraising things just going on in our area for them. Everybody’s got different things. There’s a lot of stuff going on. It’s not just Lake Zurich High School.”

Q: How much do you need to shave your head?

A: A dollar.

Q: A dollar? That’s it?

A: “I’ll just do it anyway, because Michaela was bald. When I went and saw her at the hospital, and she came to the football game, she had no hair. She fought cancer and lost her hair, I’m just losing my hair.”

Name: Cade Ryan

Title: freshman

Fundraising goal: $700

Q: What is your fundraising goal?

A: “$700, personally. I’m not sure what the goal for everybody is, but I know it’s a lot.”

Q: Have you participated in many of the other Charity Bash activities?

A: “Not really, but I did help with a lot of the decorations, and since I’m a freshman, you know, you can only do so much.”

Q: What inspired you to volunteer for this?

A: “I don’t know actually. You know, I always kind of wanted to be involved in stuff like this, to show my support for causes in a physical way. So when I heard about this opportunity through Student Council, I thought, ‘Oh, that sounds really fun, that’s something I’d want to do!’ I know not many people do this, but I feel confident enough to do it.”

Q: What’s your biggest fear about shaving your head?

A: “Honestly, I think my biggest fear is that my head will look very misshapen. I mean, I’ve had hair this whole time, and I don’t know what it’s going to look like after.”

Q: Do you have a plan to celebrate fundraising efforts, even if you don’t shave your head?

A: “I think I’ll do it anyways, whether it’s through the school or not. I might just do it myself. After all, all those people who donated money, they want to see me shave my head.”

Q: What are your hopes for the effect this will have on Charity Bash? What about cancer awareness in general?

A: “I mean, you might get the kids to go to the assembly, but that doesn’t mean they’re listening. So this, this might get their attention, they might ask what it’s about, and I can just tell them. Maybe then they’ll get involved more. I actually kinda wish that we had more things like this. It’s a really cool opportunity, something that not many people do. I feel like if we had more fundraising opportunities like this, we might become a closer school, and people would be more enthusiastic about things like this.”

Name: Pete Ternes

Department: Social Studies

Fundraising Goal: $1,000

Q: What made you want to shave your head for charity bash?

A: “The assembly and the speeches by Michaela and Mrs. Theis about her daughter Megan were

inspirational.”

Q: Did you put a lot of thought into shaving your head?

A: “I knew right away. I always wanted to find a way to help charity bash, and this was an easy way to

help.”

Q: What do you plan to do if you don’t reach your goal, to celebrate the money you raised?

A: “I’m positive I will, I had about $400 the first day. I have students bringing in checks from their

parents.”

Q: How did your family, faculty, and students react to your participation in Charity Bash?

A: “The students and faculty said ‘oh cool,’ my kids said ‘no’ because they didn’t want a bald dad. […]

After I explained to them what it was for, they understood.”

Q: How do you plan to shave your head?

A: “I’m shaving my whole head”

 

Name: Mike Bale

Title: Art teacher

Fundraising goal: $100

Q: Is this the first year you’ll be shaving your head for Charity Bash?

A: “Yes.”

Q: What’s your fundraising goal? How much money have you received so far?

A: “$100 and $50”

Q: What inspired you to volunteer to have your head shaved?

A: “I kind of needed a haircut anyway and it sounded like something fun to do.”

Q: How do you ask people to donate?

A: “I pretty much put the jar up here and hope people put money in. I also made a funny pic of

myself. I think this picture is the selling point.”

Q: What will you do if you don’t raise enough money or meet your fundraising goal?

A: “I’ll make up the difference myself, that’s the plan.”

Q: How will it feel when you’ve made your goal?

A: “I know kids are asked all the time every day but it’s nice that kids are willing to contribute.”

 

Name: Jeff Bartlett Title: Special Education teacher Fundraising goal: $500

Q: What is your fundraising goal? A: “Five hundred dollars.”

Q: What inspired you to volunteer? A: “Two things. One, I’ve had the opportunity to teach Megan Theis, who was one of the speakers at the assembly. I’d always known she had brain cancer, but just hearing about how she struggled when she was little and still kind of dealing with a lot of that stuff, and if I could be a little part of that or help honor her I wanted to do that. And then, also, Mrs. Stewart, who also volunteered, did that. And I thought that was a much bigger commitment with [much longer] hair than me did it, and I figured if she could do it to raise money I could do that as well.”

Q: Have you done anything like this before? A: “No, no shaving.”

Q: What is your biggest fear with shaving your head? A: “I guess I don’t have a real big fear. I mean I figure my hair will grow back. I mean if I have to look silly for a few weeks I’m willing to live with that.”

Q: What is your biggest hope for this Charity Bash activity? A: “That people get aware and that we are just a small part in helping people that get diagnose with cancer.”

Q: Will you still shave your head if you don’t raise enough money? A: “Yeah, I’ll probably do it anyways. I mean I already have like a hundred and sixty something dollars so I’ll still do it.”

 

Name: Julie Snyder

Title: Special Education Job Coach

Fundraising goal: $5000

Q: What is your fundraising goal (in order to shave your head)?

A: “Well I originally set a $5000 goal, but regardless of whether I make that goal or not

I’ve made my own commitment to go ahead and go through with it. Fortunately I’m up to

$3300 already so I’m super close to my goal so I’m super motivated and I don’t want to

let the people down that donated.”

Q: What inspired you to volunteer to have your head shaved?

A: “Well my daughter Jenna is 12, and she is a cancer survivor. She went through

leukemia treatment back in 2007 through 2009. Just witnessing her transformation

when she shaved her head, losing her hair, and then we went ahead and shaved her

head thinking it would make it easier. And then in solidarity for that my husband went

ahead and shaved his head. So I have pictures of them both with their little bald heads.

So to kind of mark her survival, fortunately she’s 5 years off treatment now, she’s a

middle schooler. I just wanted to do St. Baldrick’s for a while now and when I heard that

Lake Zurich High School was doing it I thought it was a great cause and I wanted to get

involved.”

Q: What is your biggest fear with this Charity Bash activity?

A: “It sounds so superficial, but maybe that my head will be an odd shape?! Other than

that I really don’t have a fear. I think it’s going to be very empowering, I have a lot of

friends that have been through cancer treatment too. The fact that I’ll actually have a

say and a choice in the matter.”

Q: What is your biggest hope about this years Charity Bash?

A: “I think my biggest hope is to raise awareness and funds for childhood cancer

research because its such an underfunded charity, there is such a need for it out there. I

think its really important. Maybe a teacher or student will inspire somebody else to make

a difference.”

Q: What will you do if you don’t make enough money or meet your fundraising goal?

A: “I’m still going to shave my head.It’s pretty close, I have a pretty good dollar amount

already. I’m going to go for it.

Q: Do you plan to celebrate if you raise the right amount of money?

A: “I think everybody on social media who have supported my efforts that’s where I’ve

raised the most amount of money, facebook, just simple thank yous. Go buy some hats.

That’s pretty much it.”

 

Name: Julie Theis

Title: Special Ed Classroom Aid

Fundraising goal: $5,000

Q: What inspired you to have your head shaved?

A: “Well I have my eighteen year old daughter who is a almost

thirteen year cancer survivor. So I’m not just doing it for her but

for all kids that have been diagnosed with cancer, because we

really need more funding just to find cures and better cures.”

Q: What is your biggest fear with this Charity Bash event?

A: “That other people think I’m sick when they see me bald. I

don’t want anyone to think that I’m ill, I want them to know that

I’m doin’ it for the kids.”

Q: Does it help that other people are doing it too?

A: “Oh absolutely. I would have done it anyway, but yeah I think it

just makes it a lot more fun”

Q: What’s your biggest hope for this event?

A: “Just to raise awareness with other people on how important it

is to fund more because right now the people are the ones that are

funding 96% of the research and the government is only funding

4%. so the more awareness we get I’m hoping that the

government will step up those figures or even bigger

cooperation’s, just people in general.”

Q: What do your daughters think of you shaving your head?

A:”I think they’re a little nervous to see me like that. But they

know it’s all for good they’re seventeen and eighteen they can

handle it now.”

Q: What will you do if you don’t raise enough money?

A: “I’m gonna shave even if I only raise $500. You set a goal just

raise as much as you can, but I’m gonna shave no matter what. I

mean, how could I not.”

 

Name: Erica Stuart

Social Studies teacher

Goal: $500

Q: What will shaving your head be like?

A: It’s going to be a cool experience, knowing that I can stand in solidarity with the

families that struggle with such devastating illness. I imagine that having a child with

cancer, or [knowing] anyone in your family has cancer is an extremely lonely place to be

in, and very few people can truly understand. This will be my way of showing my

understanding and empathy for the struggle that they endure every single day – in a small

way.

Q: Have you experienced cancer among your family or friends?

A: Both of my grandmothers died of cancer, but I never met them. One of our coworkers’

wives is battling breast cancer right now, and one of my other coworkers’ mothers is

battling breast cancer.

Q: Is there anything else you or your class is doing for Charity Bash?

A: I sponsor React, and we have on the auction wall a candy basket. It’s all [animal-

themed], environmentally conscious foods. We were relatively late to enter the auction,

so hopefully we’ll have some latecomers.

Q: What inspired you to be one of the teachers to shave your head?

What is was was Megan’s speech [at the assembly], talking about milestones. ‘When you

were doing this, I was getting my first blood transfusion,” etc., just talking through all of

the milestones that I had the privilege to experience. I kept feeling this voice in the back

of my head saying ‘You’re not special, why did you get that experience?’ and Megan and

so many other children don’t. And I feel like human nature is to respond when something

directly affects your life, and in this particular situation I just kept feeling that calling of

‘You’ve been blessed, this has not touched your life, do something about it.’ Then that

weekend, my best friend from high school announced that she was shaving her head for

St. Baldrick’s, completely unrelated. I felt like it was all the pieces of the puzzle coming

together, [and] if I don’t commit to it now, I’m never going to do it, and I’ll regret it.

Q: What have been your feelings on making that sacrifice for St. Baldrick’s?

A: I’m very nervous about cutting my hair, questioning it, but then I have to just

recognize that that’s how society influences individuals. We put so much emphasis on

our physical appearance and not enough emphasis on our hearts and our willingness to

help others. I teach Sociology, and I preach that, and how can I teach that if I don’t do

that? The money that has been donated from my friends and family could find a medicine

that could help so many people, and if I was not willing to cut my hair that might never

happen. It’s just hair, it’ll grow back. The risk is worth the reward.

 

Name: Megan Lutman

Title: Sophomore, student volunteer

Fundraising goal: $1000

Q: Why did you decide to shave your head?

A: “I have a neighbor [Ricky Mock] who was diagnosed with ewin sarcoma when he was four years old. And I watched his family have to go through that and they had to amputate his leg, and watched how they had to deal with everything, and I’ve always wanted to be a doctor, and work with kids like that so why not donate my hair and money for it?”

Q: Is there anything that you think could go wrong with Charity Bash this year?

A: “I just really hope we raise enough money for it but I think so far it’s been going pretty well, I’ve raised about $250 so far in like half a week.”

Q: What’s your biggest hope, besides raising money?

A: I just really hope that it makes an impact with [students] and that St. Baldricks will be able to find a cure and help fund more research on it, that there will be a better cure at least.”

Q: What happens if you don’t raise the amount of money for your goal?

A: “I’ll most likely still shave my head but I hope I raise the money.”

Q: If you do make your required amount, how are you going to celebrate?

A: I don’t really think I’m going to have a celebration, I mean my parents are kind of dreading my lack of hair and so I don’t think there’s going to be a party.”

Q: Is Charity Bash a group of people that come together or is it just separate people doing fundraising?

A: “I think it’s more separate people because I don’t know any of the other students that are going to shave their heads. I know there’s more female students that said they were going to but they’re going to bring us all together to shave our heads either during one of the lunch periods, or the spring assembly.”