On March 29th, 2016, SXU hosted its second annual St. Baldrick’s Day at the Shannon Center from 3pm to 7pm. The purpose of the event was to show support to those battling cancer and raise funds for children’s cancer research. The event was sponsored by the Saint Xavier Council, the Student Nurses Association, and the Student Veteran Alliance.
Students, faculty, and community members attended the event. Many of the attendees shaved their head in solidarity with those who go through cancer treatment. People had started to donate before the day of the event; in addition, donations were also being collected during the day of. The event had music, food, drinks, and raffles.
With this year’s St. Baldrick’s theme being “Past, Present and Future,” two of SXU’s students were honored at the event: SXU alumna, Nicole Munoz; and SXU student, Tara Hill. Both Munoz and Hill are currently battling cancer and were able to share their inspiring stories at the event with the audience.
Jaclyn Chojna, the lead event organizer, was present and warmly welcomed the attendees. After Chojna, the event was followed by another welcoming from Bredz Ramirez, who was the Master of Ceremonies and photographer of the event. Ramirez, who is a junior SXU student majoring in Communication, shared her experience at St. Baldrick’s with The Xavierite.
This was not the first time Ramirez participated at this event. Ramirez also volunteered last year during 2015, when the first St. Baldrick’s was held at SXU. In addition, Ramirez helped raise money and shaved her head.
“Last year I was a St. Baldrick’s shavee, actually one of the first ones in the chair. I shaved my head completely and raised $250 four days before the event which was really exciting,” says Ramirez.
As part of her role for this year as the Master of Ceremonies, Ramirez made sure to keep the audience informed of each step at the event. She also coordinated who was shaving and who was a shavee. She helped with the raffle, donation box, and food and drinks.
“It was [different] to be behind the microphone than in the chair, at first. I really enjoyed helping at the event because of how much this benefits the research for children’s cancer research,” says Ramirez comparing her participation in both years.
With laughs, tears, and smiles, the attendees enjoyed the event. One of the favorite moments for the audience during the event was listening to the stories of SXU honorees Nicole Munoz and Tara Hill.
“It was really nice to have SXU honor Nicole and Tara, fellow cougar and alumni cougar, and have them there to see all the things helping them. I know they were grateful and it was interesting to hear their stories as well,” says Ramirez when describing her favorite moments at the event.
“My favorite part was [also] actually watching people brave the shave, as cliché as it sounds. I also liked to announce some of my friends who came in to shave their heads . . . seeing the smiles on people’s faces when families came in to support their kids having their heads was really heart-warming as well,” adds Ramirez.
Ramirez enjoys having a St. Baldrick’s day event on campus and looks forward to continuing hosting it in the future. She believes SXU does a great job advertising, promoting, and informing the community of what St. Baldrick’s is about.
“I love that Saint Xavier hosts [St. Baldrick’s] . . . I look forward to it next year! I think having students involved with the public in the area shows that we can come together as a community and interact with such a great cause,” says Ramirez.
Miryam Villarreal
News Editor
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