St. Baldrick’s event in Streamwood raises money to fight childhood cancers

Most of the time, St. Baldrick’s fundraisers for research into childhood cancers are all about losing hair — participants volunteer to get shaved bald in exchange for donations.

But this year’s St. Baldrick's Foundation event hosted Sunday by Streamwood Fire Department Local 3022 added a new twist to the familiar fundraiser: making hair longer.

Organizers offered long, colored hair extensions for $10, which had a line of girls waiting for their turn at strands in hues like cool blue and rad magenta.

On the more traditional side of the event, about 30 shavees had their hair sheared at the Chicago Loop Sports Bar & Grill in Streamwood.

“In its first five years, the fundraiser has raised $173,000, said firefighter/paramedic Calvin Clark, who shared event organizing duties with colleague Eric Blaser.

“We want to blow past $200,000 total (this year), I would like to see $35,000 coming in just from people raising money from the haircuts,” he said

“We do this because there are children out there, they have so much on their plate, this is the least we can do to raise a little bit of money to help them out and maybe take a little bit of the load off them,” Clark added.