Last year’s annual Saint Baldrick’s event, pictured above, raised more than $30,000 for childhood cancer research. This year’s event will be virtual. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH – Despite the pandemic, the need is still great to fund childhood cancer research. Norwich St. Baldrick’s announced that their annual head shaving fundraiser to fight childhood cancers will be a virtual event in 2021.

“Due to the ongoing pandemic, there’s no way we can hold an in-person event in March and it’s unclear if that would be possible at all this year,” said Event Co-Organizer A. Wesley Jones. “As a result, we are going to embrace the situation and move to a virtual event.”

The event will be held on Saturday, March 13, 2021. Details are still being worked out, but the plan is to host the event for shavees through an online service and broadcast it live on Facebook.

“Despite the pandemic, the need could never be higher,” said Norwich St. Baldrick’s Co-Organizer Jamie Burchill. “Due to the shutdowns across the country, most events last year were canceled and this year is not looking any better. Despite that, the number of children who get cancer – one every two minutes – has not changed.”

Last year’s St. Baldrick’s event in Norwich was held last March just before the full shutdown in New York State due to the Coronavirus. Despite the event only being open to participants and immediately family or friends, $31,771 was raised to fund childhood cancer research. It was the third largest grossing event in the 16 year history of the event in Norwich.

“We have no idea what to expect this year, but we are going to do our best to raise as much money as we can to fund to childhood cancer research,” said Jones. “It’s going to be unconventional but we are going to have a great virtual event anyway.”

Despite the change, the Norwich event already has nine shavees signed up, including an out of the area group that is excited to be participating in the virtual event.

Every 2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and in the U.S. one in five kids diagnosed won’t survive. Those who do survive often suffer long-term effects from treatments too harsh for their developing bodies. From its beginnings, St. Baldrick’s has believed that kids deserve the chance to be kids – fun-loving, carefree, refreshingly honest, and always a little goofy – and deserve the chance at a healthy future. That’s why St. Baldrick’s is dedicated to funding the best childhood cancer research, wherever it takes place.

Donations raised at events like this have made it possible for St. Baldrick’s to fund more than $305 million, making it the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants.


Join the fight. You can make a difference in the war against childhood cancers by participating in a head-shaving event. Visit Stbaldricks.org/events/Norwich to sign up.

For more information about the local event visit www.stbaldricks.org/events/Norwich or www.facebook.com/NorwichStBaldricks.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation: As the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is leading the charge to take childhood back from cancer. St. Baldrick’s funds some of the most brilliant childhood cancer research experts who are working to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. Kids need treatments as unique as they are – and that starts with funding research just for them. Join us at StBaldricks.org to help support the best childhood cancer research, no matter where it takes place.

– St. Baldrick’s Foundation spokesman A. Wesley Jones