Go bald for children’s cancer research

The Children’s Hospital University of Illinois, part of UI Health, will host an annual head-shaving event to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Doctors, nurses, patients and families and community members volunteer each year to have their heads shaved in support of childhood cancer research.

WHEN:

Feb. 21
8 to 9:30 a.m.

WHERE:

UI Health
1740 W. Taylor St.

DETAILS:

The children’s hospital provides comprehensive services to children, adolescents and young adults with cancer, leukemia, sickle cell disease, hemophilia and other blood disorders.

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation began as a challenge between friends and has since grown into the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising program for childhood cancer research.

The record for the hospital’s single-day fundraising event is $19,000.

Over the last 10 years, the children’s hospital and its clinical trials group has received more than $2.1 million from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Thanks to the funding, the group — called the UI Health/Rush/Stroger Children’s Oncology Group — currently can place patients in nearly 100 open clinical trials. These trials include front-line treatment for many types of childhood cancers, studies to determine the underlying biology of these diseases, and trials on new and emerging treatments, supportive care and survivorship.