MARYSVILLE — Michael Pitzo went from full head of hair to tonsured monk to first day of boot camp Friday.
The 14-year-old eighth-grader wasn’t making a fashion statement.
“I wanted to do it to support a good cause,” he said. “And frankly, I wanted a free haircut.”
About 25 students — and Marysville Lions Club member Martha Whitsitt — had their heads shaved Friday at Marysville Middle School by stylists from New Millennium salon. They raised about $8,671 in pledges for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a group that funds pediatric cancer research.
Teacher Bill Grant, who coordinated the fundraiser, said the school has raised about $70,000 during the past seven years.
“A friend of mine (Jeremy Russel) passed away from cancer eight years ago and his family started doing events,” he said, explaining that Russel’s nephew R.J. brought the idea to the school.
R.J. Russel now is a senior at Marysville High School and is graduating this year.
Students watched Friday as their classmates were shorn, cheering and singing in an atmosphere akin to a pep rally.
“We want to have fun. We want to to make it fun, but we also want to raise money and give back,” Grant said.
He said teachers had a penny war for St. Baldrick’s with Kristin Bieszczad winning the top prize.
Colin Walker, 12 and a seventh-grader, also had his head shaved Friday.
“I just felt like it was needed,” he said. “I just felt like it was necessary because kids with cancer, people can donate money to help them.”
Christopher Larson, 12, is a sixth-grader who had his head shaved for St. Baldrick’s Day.
“I know my Grandma had cancer at one point and recovered, so I’d like others to recover like my Grandma did,” he said.
He said his shaven head “feels a lot different. It feels good.”
Grace Russel, 12 and a seventh-grader, is Jeremy Russel’s niece and R.J. Russel’s sister.
“At the time, he was still alive and battling cancer,” she said. “My brother wanted to help people … and introduced it to the school.
“I think it’s really cool.”
She said the family was raising money for cancer research before bringing the effort to the middle school.
“My brother was doing it with the actual St. Baldrick’s Foundation before my uncle passed away,” she said.
Ted Wiley said his son, Teddy, 14, also raised money for St. Baldrick’s.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “I lost my father in May, his Grandpa, and he really wants to find a cure.”
Whitsitt said she was able to raise $1,145 “and I have some pledges still coming in.”
She said the cause is personal.
“I worked for a pediatric oncologist in California,” she said. “He was chief of pediatric oncology at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
“I saw from the time I started working with him to the time I retired the change in cure rate due to research. I saw the benefits of the research, and this is near and dear to my heart.”
She said she knows the Russel family and has known R.J. Russel since his birth.
Whitsitt said she had her head shaved four years ago for St. Baldrick’s Day.
“It feels nice,” she said. “I like it. It feels so silky and smooth. I call it my spring shearing.”
