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• St. Baldrick's at Dakota Gas

St. Baldrick's at Dakota Gas

"Shave a Life"

At the Synfuels Plant

Dakota Gasification Company employees stepped up on March 11 to raise money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation’s Shave a Life event Friday afternoon at the Synfuels Plant. Through rain, sleet and blowing snow Angie Fagen of Hazen’s Hair Hunters Salon made it to the Synfuels Plant on Friday to shave the participant’s heads. Six Synfuels Plant employees and an employee’s son have raised more than $5,250 for childhood cancer research, and donations are still being accepted. Six Synfuels Plant employees and an employee’s son have raised more than $5,250 for childhood cancer research

At Bismarck State College NECE

The top floor of Bismarck State College's National Energy Center of Excellence was the sea of green on March 17 when area businesses and individuals gathered to raise funds for children's cancer research and fellowships as part of the St. Baldrick's Foundation. “We had about 150 volunteers, both men and women, who shaved their heads this year,” said Mary Klecker-Green, supervisor of public and member communications at Basin Electric Power Cooperative. “Basin Electric employees worked alongside our community partners, and that collaboration turned out the biggest event we’ve had to date!”

Basin Electric, the Bismarck Bobcats, MDU Resources Group; National Information Solutions Cooperative, Spa D’Athena and Bismarck State College welcomed new partners to the event: Medcenter One;  Kadrmas Lee & Jackson; Bismarck-Mandan Young Professional Network, and Wild Inspire. This was the fourth St. Baldrick's event held in Bismarck.

“It appears that we surpassed our goal of $150,000 with the help of our community partners,” said Klecker-Green. “This was the first year we made our St. Baldrick’s Day program a community-wide effort and it really broadened our base.”

This year’s event honored 20 children who have survived, are currently in treatment, or have lost their battle with cancer. Among those shaving off their hair were Richard and Dylan Borgen, father and brother of Ali Borgen, Grand Forks. They shaved their heads in honor of Ali, who lost her battle to acute lymphoblastic leukemia in January of this year. To read more about Ali’s story, go to http://www.carepages.com/carepages/WeLoveAliB.

Macen Heisler, 5, brother of Aspen Heisler, Rugby, 2, who’s currently undergoing treatment for neuroblastoma, shaved his head along with his two friends, Bryceton and Kristian, in honor of Aspen. Aspen’s mother, Randi, is one of the “46 Mommas,” who received national attention this year for shaving their heads in honor of their children. To read more about Aspen, go to http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/aspenjackheisler.

Highlights of the day included the auctioning of an autographed football and Minnesota Vikings jersey from tight end Jimmy Kleinsasser, and a record number of female shavees.  Five females shaved their heads including local school librarian Pam Wohlsdorf whose locks were shorn in honor of Matthew Watson, who lost his battle to neuroblastoma in 2009. Cassandra Brazell shaved her head after a year-long major weight loss; she was joined by her hair stylist, Wendy Steidler of Identity Salon. Spa D’Athena volunteered 15 stylists to cut hair and shave heads.

Basin Electric's Mike Eggl, senior vice president of External Relations and Communications, and Ted Cash, supervisor of media support, co-emceed the event marking the fourth consecutive year Eggl and Cash have shaved their heads. The American Cancer Society (ACS), through their partnership with Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths, encouraged people to cut 8 inches or more of hair to donate towards wigs for cancer patients. Nine shavees donated hair to Locks of Love and 13 to Pantene's Beautiful lengths.

Top individual fundraiser was Wayne Child, a Basin Electric board director, who raised more than $13,000. At prior fundraising events, players, coaches and staff from the Bismarck Bobcats, Bismarck-Mandan area’s minor league hockey team, shaved their heads, including three on center ice during an intermission at their game March 14 against the Austin Bruins, and five others were shorn on March 17. The hockey event, including an auction of St. Baldrick’s Day theme Bobcat jerseys, raised $8,500. Basin Electric’s event coordinator, Emily McKay said:  “We’re so thrilled at the way the event turned out. I never expected to raise so much money from the jerseys; the fans and players were great." In February, Scott Wild of Wild Trivia Tour, hosted a 24-Trivia Fundraiser at the local Bismarck Elks Lodge, that raised $4,000.

A bake sale was held concurrent with the shavee event. More than 92 volunteers contributed to the success of the event.
 
This year’s event was broadcast on Community Access Television, channel 12, and local viewers could also watch it via a live streaming webcast on the Basin Electric public web site.

Shave a Life" by the numbers:

(for more information contact Jennifer Holen jholen@bepc.com)

About St. Baldrick's Foundation

Since its inception in 2000, St. Baldrick's Foundation has raised more than $74 million for the cause, and shaved more than 135,000 heads in 24 countries and all 50 states in the United States.

Despite tremendous progress, cancer remains the No. 1 killer disease of children in the United States and Canada. The foundation's mission is to raise awareness and funds to cure kids' cancer by supporting cancer research and fellowships