Holding razors and shaving cream, a group of people dressed in red Springfield attire carrying pool blow-up animals and a cutout Santa piled into the Atherton Hall elevator.
Last night at 7 in the Atherton Hall basement, Springfield held its annual head shaving for the members to prepare for Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon. Additionally, the organization held an auction for members to bid on the chance to throw pies at the chair members of Springfield. The money raised was donated to THON, Springfield public relationship chair Bri Callahan said.
Springfield is a special interest organization completely committed to raising money for THON and its Four Diamonds Fund families, Callahan (junior-human development and family studies) said. The organization has around 60 active members, Callahan said.
This year, Springfield has eight dancers total, including Callahan. The organization has three Four Diamonds Fund families, which has been paired with the organization for years, Callahan said.
The head-shaving event for THON has been a Springfield tradition for 10 or 11 years, Donor Relations Chair Nish Pandya said. During the event, the female members of Springfield shaved most the male members’ heads to show the organization’s support for the four diamonds children.
“If they don’t do it at first, eventually they will be convinced,” Callahan said jokingly.
The act of shaving their heads is so the children are not to feel out of place at THON, Callahan said. Losing hair is a visual way of showing the struggle of cancer and it is hard to hide, Callahan said.
Many of the children that come to THON have no hair or in the past lost their hair, Springfield Family Relations Chair Marissa Stavropoulos said. The shaving of the head is a way to make the children feel normal, Stavropoulos (sophomore-accounting) said. The act shows that Springfield truly cares and is willing to give everything that is possible to give, including hair, Pandya (junior-economic) said.
“It is an ounce of understanding what the kids experience,” Pandya said.
One of Springfield’s dancers, Mark Goldy-Brown said dancing is a way to give back to his organization. He hopes that the shaven heads make the children feel comfortable so they can have fun, Goldy-Brown (junior-biology) said.
The Springfield Four Diamonds families are used to the members of the group shaving their heads because they have been around them for so many years, Callahan said. Many of the children find it amusing when they see the male members bald and will sometimes draw on their heads, Callahan said.
For “Pie in the Face,” the “mini fund” held during the shaving, members of Springfield bid for the opportunity to throw pies in the face of the organization’s chair members. The 10 chair members were split into five pairs. The highest bid for one of the pairs was $105 and the fund raised $315, Callahan said.
The event started out with all the members performing the beginning of the “Harlem Shake” with one member wearing a motorcycle helmet. In the background the members all stood around talking, all with hair on their head.
At the end of the event, the members finished the video with the pool items and cut out a life-size Santa. The male members had their heads shaven and were dancing.
