Riverdale students raise $33,600 for St. Baldrick's to fight childhood cancer
Words can’t describe the experience at Riverdale High School when students and faculty shaved their heads or chopped their hair to raise funds for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, said English teacher Caron Peck.
“It truly is a feeling,” said Peck, who has helped coordinate the event for the past eight years.
With musicians drumming and cheerleaders cheering, students, teachers and visitors had their heads shaved or locks chopped for cancer survivors Friday. Riverdale High School students raised $33,600 this academic year.
The annual event is in memory of Leah Smallwood, who was diagnosed with cancer at age 4 in 2012. Two years later, Riverdale began their annual fund-raiser in her honor with St. Baldrick’s Foundation. She died in 2017. Her father, Michael, played football for the Riverdale Warriors and her siblings attended Riverdale.
Riverdale students have raised $253,122 in the nine years they have supported St. Baldrick’s Foundation to fight childhood cancer.
“That is a huge number,” Peck said. “It’s a beautiful thing about St. Baldrick’s. On this day, you see 1,800 teens get together for the greater good.”
Students lead their peers by example and faculty members lead by example to convince people to join.
Peck’s mother, Sue Bausch from Ohio, attended the past four years. Experiencing the enthusiasm prompted Bausch to “do more” this year. She had $30 to shave her head but needed $70 more.
“The kids came forward,” Peck said. “There was just a feeling that came over her that, ‘I need to do more.’ It was absolutely amazing.”
Peck cried as she watched her mother.
SRO Anthony Bragg had his head shaved and SRO Dallen Miller took a pie in the face. Miller collected $747, including several generous donations from Woodsviking barbers Lane Corson and Josh Nunley.
Former teacher Michael Shirley and his daughter, Mahayla, 11, had their heads shaved. She raised over $1,400 for St. Baldrick’s. She started participating when she was 5.
Math teacher Lamar Davis, one of the organizers, praised Mahalya for her efforts.
“I hope everybody grows up to be just like you,” Davis told her.
Junior student Maria Warrick-Allen was inspired by fellow students.
“Let me go and find 50 bucks,” Warrick-Allen said. “It’s weird.”
She was a little scared when the Woodsviking barber cut her long braids to donate to cancer patients.
“I didn’t talk to my mom first but I will tell her it was for a good cause,” Warrick-Allen said.
Woodsviking barber Robert Lyman said the experience was “very cool. I am glad to be part of such a good cause.”
Peck said St. Baldrick’s representatives told her the Riverdale fundraiser is the second largest standing event for the foundation and the second highest fund-raising event in Tennessee. Riverdale is the only public high school in Tennessee to sponsor the shaving event in Tennessee.
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