The annual St. Baldrick’s Day is set for March 14 and Sting Cancer Club is making arrangements for this year’s event at Notre Dame Academy.

Cancer is something most people have been indirectly affected by, if not directly. St. Baldrick’s is devoted to donating money for childhood cancer research.

Miss Holly Strong, a teacher at Notre Dame Academy, is helping out with Sting Cancer for the first time this year.

“I think it is a really great event.  It is really awesome to see how much the students care about this event. I enjoy organizing things, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to get involved!” Strong said.

She is very enthusiastic towards this year’s event and is anticipating a great time. She has never personally seen a St. Baldrick’s event because it hadn’t started yet when she was a student here at NDA, but a good friend’s family member participated three years ago at NDA, sparking her interest

St. Baldrick’s Day began at NDA six years ago. Each year, the event brings in many volunteers who all want to make a difference and inspire others. Student representatives and even a couple staff members agree to have their heads shaved, and in return, friends and family members donate money for the cause–curing cancer.

Sophomore Madelyn Brusda was a shavee last year. “I did St. Baldrick’s because my family has been affected by cancer, and I wanted to do what I could for all cancer patients. I was nervous about what people would think and worried about what I would look like,” Brusda said.

Lots of staring and extra attention took a bit of getting used to, she said, but, “the best part of the experience was the feeling that I had up on stage knowing that when they were shaving my head, I was making a difference,” Brusda said.

Plenty of hardworking student helpers from NDA’s Sting Cancer Club and other students will be on hand to assist wherever they are needed.  St. Baldrick’s Day owes its success to the many parents and friends of the school and to its teacher moderators, Strong and Mr. Gerald Cook.

St. Baldrick’s Foundation is an organization that was started in the early 2000s by three Irish businessmen from New York City. Instead of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day the usual way, they decided to do something in the true spirit of saintly feast days, and help other people.

They wanted to raise money for kids with cancer by shaving their own heads. They asked for pledges from friends and families hoping they would donate for their cause. Their goal of  “$17,000 on the 17th of March” has grown to raising over $100,000,000 nationwide as of 2012, according to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation website.

St. Baldrick’s Day has grown so much from its start in 2000 and will continue to grow for many years to come, thanks to the participation and support of so many people, Strong said.

Approximately 175,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide each year and less than four percent of the National Cancer Institute’s budget goes toward helping these children and their families, according to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation website.