Students at St. Bernadette School, 2300 Clague Road in Westlake, will shave their heads for childhood cancer research at “Brave the Buzz” on March 15. (Submitted)
Every two years, St. Bernadette School in Westlake participates in its own version of a St. Baldrick’s style head-shaving event for charity.
For the school’s students and staff, the event holds a special meaning.
In 2010, St. Bernadette kindergarten student Michael Orbany was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor. During Michael’s initial treatment in 2012, the school created an event called “Brave the Buzz” to raise money for childhood cancer research.
“There was a student (Michael Orbany) who was diagnosed with brain cancer when he was in kindergarten,” middle school teacher Lauren DeFazio said. “He went through some treatments that they thought were somewhat successful, but it came back… He actually ended up passing away when he was in third grade, which would have been in 2014.”
Just before his passing in 2014, students and staff at St. Bernadette School banded together to support Michael and raise money for childhood cancer research.
“These kids don’t necessarily have another way of supporting him… That’s where the event started,” DeFazio said. “There was an iteration before the one in 2014… This bigger one happened the year that he died, about six weeks before he passed away.”
Now, “Brave the Buzz” is a staple event for the school, she said. Held every other year, the most recent edition of the the event raised over $100,000 she said, in honor of the 10th anniversary of Orbany’s initial efforts in 2012.
“It’s sort of like a pledge system,” she said. “People volunteer to get their heads shaved, and in the process of that, (they) raise money. People will donate to that cause, for the people shaving their heads and all that money then goes to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.”
St. Bernadette School is currently hoping to raise $70,000 for childhood cancer research this year, before “Brave The Buzz” begins on March 15. With a month to go, the school is already about halfway to its goal, DeFazio said.
“We have some girls who will get 12 to 18 inches of their hair cut,” she said. “It is an amazing event because it teaches kids that they can do something to help, and it doesn’t have to be big. You can’t cure cancer when you’re 9 years old, but you can stand together with somebody who has cancer.”
That level of child empowerment is the core of what “Brave the Buzz” means to the St. Bernadette School community, DeFazio said.
“Brave the Buzz brings the greater school community together to show solidarity with kids fighting cancer,” she said. “There will be speakers, music and entertainment. Students learn that small acts such as shaving their head or donating their hair can have a powerful impact on others.”
Those looking to help St. Bernadette with “Brave the Buzz” this year, or to donate to their cause, can visit www.stbaldricks.org, or call the school at 440-734-7717.