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  While this isn't a "typical" blog entry, I just have to tell you this story and hope you'll help.

I have a former student/current friend (I love how students turn into friends once they graduate, it's a great part of my job – but I digress…) who is doing something absolutely crazy.

She's shaving her head.  For charity.

Sara-Summer Oliphant is a local mom of four healthy kids but after hearing about an organization called St. Baldricks on a message board she frequents, she felt compelled to do something.  "At first I joked about it, but then I really started thinking about it.
Over the summer had gotten to know a family in California via Facebook
whose 7-year-old son, Dylan, was battling cancer for the second time in
his short life. Thinking about all they had been through, and what so
many other children and families are going through, shaving my head
seemed like an easy way to raise money to battle this terrible disease." Oliphant said. 

The St. Baldrick's Foundation funds more in childhood
cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S.
government, more than $12 million in 2009.   Volunteer "shavees"
shave their heads in solidarity with kids fighting cancer and family
and friends give generously – worldwide. 

What began as a challenge between friends has grown into the world's
largest volunteer-driven fundraising event for childhood cancer
research. The St. Baldrick's Foundation
uses the donations to fund childhood cancer research grants.

Each year, more than 160,000 kids are diagnosed with cancer, and it is the number one cause of death in children.

Sara-Summer has a wonderful outlook on giving to charity, "Up to this point, I've been so blessed in that all 4 of my children are
healthy. I don't think there is any reason to wait for somebody close
to me to become sick to do my part."

Sara-Summer hopes some friends will come through on promises to knit her some hats to get her through a chilly Pittsburgh March and said "I'm sure there will be days that I look in the mirror and wonder what I
was thinking, but that is when I can look at my kids an remember I did
it so some day there will be a cure for cancer and little ones like
them won't have to suffer the way so many do today."

Sara-Summer will be collecting donations to the St. Baldricks Foundation and is trying to raise $5,000.  Let's help support her!!

You can read more of Sara-Summer's story and donate on her St. Baldricks page here http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/sarasummer

And if you want to watch and cheer on our fellow Pittsburgh Mom, Sara-Summer will be having her head shaved on March 13 at the Claddagh Irish Pub in the South Side Works.

Let's support Sara-Summer and the St. Baldricks Foundation!

DONATE!!!

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