Wood Oaks Shavers take it all of again for St. Baldrick's Day

The Wood Oaks Shavers, a group of seventh-grade boys from Wood Oaks Junior High, 1250 Sanders Road, Northbrook, revisited their annual hair cutting for charity on April 3.

On April 3, they got their flowing locks sheared as part of a nationwide benefit for the St. Baldrick's Foundation's Kids Conquer Cancer fundraiser.

At this writing, the boys have raised nearly $5,400 in pledges, exceeding their target of $5,000.

They surpassed that goal as well in 2021, when the Shavers' head-shaving exploits raised more than $6,000.

When they were in fifth grade they brought in $22,000, including a whopping $10,000 from one generous donor.

Wood Oaks Shavers team captain Thomas Rubin led this year's effort by obtaining more than $2,300 in pledges. Teammates included Jacob Carlos, Simon Ferencz, Lucas Paich and Bryan Sink.

Though the Shavers have done this as a group for the past three years, one of the boys has participated in St. Baldrick's Day fundraising since he was 6. Another boy did it as his bar mitzvah service project.

Based in California, the first St. Baldrick's Foundation head-shaving event came during a 2000 reinsurance industry St. Patrick's Day party in New York City.

Having gone national, according to the foundation website, since 2005, St. Baldrick's volunteers such as the Wood Oaks Shavers have raised more than $314 million toward cancer research funding.