The Community Unites to Fight Childhood Cancer
If you take a look around, you may notice that many LAFD and LAPD members are sporting a new shorn look. Are they getting prepared for summer? Did they lose a bet? Are they saving money on shampoo? For the participants of the 2018 16th Annual LAFD/LAPD St. Baldrick’s fundraiser to fight childhood cancer, the answer is a resounding “No!”
On Saturday, March 24th at Fire Station 89 in North Hollywood, these first responders joined with brave souls from the public by shaving their heads in solidarity to support children who have lost their hair as a consequence of cancer treatment. Worldwide over 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer every year, and sadly it takes the lives of more children in the United States than any other illness. By raising money for shaving his head, shavees like LAFD co-organizer and young firefighter Rudy Rocha assists the St. Baldrick’s Foundation with offering research grants for finding a cure. This is extremely important because behind the U.S. government, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation is the largest source of funding for childhood cancer research. Proceeds from this year’s event bring the aggregate total raised through 16 years to more than $1.1 million dollars!
Like events in the past, this year’s event was “all about the kids.” Tireless workers Kevin Le and Laura Hixson from the Los Angeles Police Federal Credit Union organized an amazing silent auction (with donations by the LA City Employees Club, Home Depot, Sears, LAPD Air Support Division, Fire Axe Inc., and others)—contributing an additional $4000+ to the projected $60,000+ raised at this year’s event! Magicians from the Magic Castle mesmerized the little ones with their tricks. Betsy Quezada painted eagerly waiting faces while children and their families enjoyed exploring the LAPD Historical Society’s vintage patrol cars and having their photo professionally taken in Laura Lichter’s LAPD motorbike picture booth. Phil Weireter arrived in the famous LAFD Bandwagon fire engine and families waited patiently to get their kid’s pictures taken with it. The crowd enjoyed a delicious free pancake and sausage breakfast from Pancake Factory North Hollywood, and quenched their thirst with fresh cups of joe from the Coffee Bean and drinks/snacks from KENK USA’s Kelly Khoury. Huntington Hospital’s Jackie Baca-Geary recruited donors for their blood drive–thereby helping out even further in the local community and beyond. Fire Station 89’s own Apparatus Operator Lee Hazelquist arrived early to assist with setting up and cooking breakfast for the hundreds of hungry mouths on UFLAC’s “Mother Of All Barbecues”–with “head pancake flipper” Gene from the Pancake Factory supervising with quality control.
Actress Angeline Rose-Troy and LAFD Dispatcher Deby Herdich both smiled as seasoned event barbers who returned again to shave heads along with Ashley Porter–daughter of recently retired LAFD Captain Greg Porter. When more barbers were needed, Civil Air Patrol Cadet Post Advisor Shawnie Livera stepped up to assist with not only the hair cutting, but also had her head shorn as well! St. Baldrick’s Director Kathleen Ruddy smiled as LAFD Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas shaved LAFD co-organizer Danny Wu’s dome, and LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck looked delighted as he began lopping off LAPD co-organizer Lieutenant Greg Doyle’s hair in front of an approving crowd–with Greg’s wife Kris finishing the job! In a pleasant surprise, CA State Senator Robert Hertzberg made an appearance in support of the event to show his passion for fighting kids’ cancer.
Thank you also to all that volunteered, pledged, participated, and brought your families out for a worthy cause. A special token of gratitude goes out to Fire Station 89 for hosting the event, Councilmember Paul Krikorian’s District 2 Office for supplying table and chairs, and ACE Party Rentals in North Hollywood for donating an impressive 40×60 foot canopy in preparation for inclement weather. Luckily, the furious downpour during the week subsided before the day of the event, and this year’s special day was meant to be enjoyed in our beautiful Southern California weather. Last but not least, a very special “THANK YOU” goes out to LAFD Firefighter Rudy Rocha and LAPD Detective Nick Sinclair for assisting with this year’s LAFD/LAPD St. Baldrick’s event, as they may be taking the reigns as Co-Organizers in the coming years.
We look forward to seeing you all next year and remember it’s not too late to donate online at: www.stbaldricks.org/events/lafdlapd
Photos by Laura Lichter and Mike Meadows