PORTLAND, Ore. – Players, Timber Joey, team alumni ambassadors and staff of the Portland Timbers joined together on Saturday afternoon to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a volunteer-based charity focused on finding a cure for children with cancer.
WATCH: Shaving for St. Baldrick's
Hundreds of community members and multiple organizations joined together for the tenth anniversary of the St. Baldrick’s event in Portland on Saturday, where a record 603 “shavees” received a free haircut to show support for the foundation. So far this year, the event has raised over $206,000, and the total amount of money raised is estimated to reach almost $100,000 more than last year.
“The Portland Timbers have been an extraordinary ally in our local St. Baldrick’s efforts to find a cure for childhood cancers, and we do not come close to the success we had this year, or last, without their support,” said Joe Farrar, Event Organizer for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. “Their big presence of staff, coaches, former and current players and of course Timber Joey at our event shows our volunteers, shavees and kids with cancer we are not alone in this fight.”
The Timbers’ St. Baldrick’s team had 37 members join the 2012 event, up from just seven a year ago. Notable team members who decided to shave their heads were Timbers players
Joe Bendik
,
Ryan Kawulok
and
Brent Richards
, Assistant Coach Cameron Knowles, Community Ambassadors Scot Thompson and John Bain, as well as Timber Joey. Along with members of the Timbers Army, front office staff and other Timbers supporters who joined the cause, the entire group raised over $13,000 for St. Baldrick’s.
The 603 people who shaved their heads for St. Baldrick’s on Saturday helped the Portland event rank first out of 1,200 foundation events around the world. The number of “shavees” has risen
by
more than 400 people in just two years.
“Working closely with the Portland Timbers this year has shown me their sincere heart for the kids with cancer we do this for and their commitment to helping us find a cure,” Farrar added. “I look forward to a continued successful partnership in working toward this goal.”
