Date: Mar 11, 2013

Administrators and Students Shave It Off for Childhood Cancer Fundraiser

St. Baldrick’s Foundation Teams Up with Hofstra for a Hairy Fundraising Event

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – On March 13, 2013 Hofstra University will host its fifth annual St. Baldrick’s Day event, a fundraiser in which Hofstra administrators team up with students and shave their heads to raise money for childhood cancer research. Last year Hofstra doubled the funds raised from the previous year, bringing in $19,000 for the Foundation.

This year, the event is also partnering with Locks of Love, allowing participants with ten or more inches of hair can to donate their hair to that organization.

The St. Baldrick’s event was first brought to Hofstra in 2009 by alumnus and Roller Hockey Club member Thomas Kostiw. “This event is really special to me and something that I truly look forward to each year. The funds raised are extremely important and go a long way in research and treatment for children struggling with cancer,” Kostiw said.

“Seeing the hockey team, university and community come together each year for such a worthy cause is an extraordinary feeling” Kostiw said. “Everyone works so hard to raise money and get the word out. Watching these unselfish individuals sign up to shave their heads year after year is truly inspiring We have shaved over 100 heads and raised over $40,000 in that time and the event still continues to grow each year.”

St. Baldricks’ Day is the largest volunteer-driven fundraising program for children’s cancer in the world according to St. Baldrick’s organization.

The University has created a tiered system in which a team of five Hofstra faculty, administrators, and student leaders volunteer to shave their heads for a certain price – anywhere between $5,000 and $25,000. The event brings together many departments and organizations across the university, all working towards the same goal: raising $25,000, to shave the head of Dr. Herman Berliner, university’s Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs .

Other notable administrators participating include Dean Peter Libman, Dean of Students and Dr. Mario Murillo, chairman of the Radio, Television, Video and Film department and co-director of the Center for Civic Engagement. “This will be the fourth year that I'll be participating in this wonderful event,” Libman said. “Each year, working with such dedicated and giving students, gets me more inspired to build support for this incredibly worthwhile cause. It's something I plan continue participating in for the rest of my life.”

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and help survivors thrive. The Foundation supports more childhood cancer research grants than any organization, except the federal government. Funds awarded also help hundreds of local institutions participate in national pediatric cancer clinical trials.. The Foundation has subsidized more than $78 million in childhood cancer research since 2005. For more information about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation please call 1.888.899.BALD or visit www.StBaldricks.org.

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Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 140 undergraduate and more than 150 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business; engineering; communication; education, health and human services; and honors studies, as well as a School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine.

Related Link: Hofstra's St. Baldrick's Event Page