In 2002 little Kari MacDonald was nearing the end of three years of chemotherapy. She was a survivor. Her father, Gordon, was so moved by her experience that he urged more than 40 of his friends and coworkers to shave their heads to raise awareness of cancer in children. The event, the 2003 St. Valentine’s Day Hair Massacre, raised $37,000.
Since then the event has grown beyond his dreams. This year will be the 10th Massacure, with more than 1,700 people expected to shave, dye, or donate their hair to raise awareness and funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation and Ronald McDonald Foundation.
The entire MacDonald family, Gordon, Tammy and their four daughters, are the driving force behind it. Corporate sponsorships and public recognition have moved it from an event to a movement. Guinness has listed it for the most heads shaved under one roof in a 24-hour period. Each of the last two years it raised a whopping million dollars – an astonishing accomplishment!
This year’s hair-affair will again be held in the Ice Palace at West Edmonton Mall on Feb. 3. The list of corporate sponsors is astounding but the heart of this movement, I believe, is beating within the chests of children.
Children typically learn the lesson that life is not fair when they receive the short end of the stick with no explanation why. But there is another way for children to learn this lesson and it comes in events like Massacure.
Those who are most productive and beneficial to our society are those who have chosen to live for something larger than themselves. So when your 10-year-old says he wants to shave his head, think about your answer. Does he really know what he’s asking? Probably not. Is he prepared for the shock afterwards? I doubt it. But should that stop you from letting him pursue this wild and daring feat? No.
This is an event your child will never forget. Our minds are like maps with signposts of significant childhood experiences. What better way to solidify altruism in a child’s mind and heart than to allow a little bit of trauma in her life to be associated with an enormous act of kindness? What better way to imprint bravery and self-sacrifice on a child’s life story than to allow for it to come by a shocking event?
Four years ago, Brett Arlinghaus, Grade 6 teacher at Neil M. Ross, had not heard much about Massacure until one of his students shaved her head. It inspired him and he began a campaign that has grown to the point where last year his school was named the most successful school fundraiser for the entire Massacure project.
When asked why parents should allow their child to shave her head, Arlinghaus responds emphatically, “It can be such a short window when they want to do this bold move. It’s a teachable moment; a chance to foster the ability to empathize with others. Why say no to it?”
The ability to adjust to a self-imposed challenge is beneficial. It creates perspective, self-confidence, and puts a feather in a child’s ball cap, so to speak. Hair grows back but the memory of giving, of sacrificing, will last a lifetime.
Dee-Ann Schwanke is a supporter of social programs and charities that improve the lives of children.
