Friday is a busy day for the Bluewater Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society.
There are a variety of ” Cops for Cancer ” Shave Offs scheduled in the region including events at Hanover, Markdale and two in Owen Sound.
The Markdale Cops for Cancer ShaveOff begins at 5:30 PM at Sidekicks Restaurant while the Hanover Shave Off is at 6 PM at the Hanover Pavilion
Both West Hill Secondary School and downtown Owen Sound have fundraising activities scheduled for Friday.
The downtown Owen Sound event begins at 10 AM with a parade that originates from the Bayshore Broadcasting Parking lot and then proceeds to in front of city hall.
The shaveoffs in the city core start at 10:30 AM in front of Owen Sound City Hall
Denis Christo is the event organizer for the downtown Owen Sound Shaveoff.
Christo anticipates 50 or more participants this year and he’s blown away by that number.
A cancer survivor, Christo understands how motivating and significant the ” Cops for Cancer ” campaign is.
He says the parade banner will likely be carried by cancer survivors
All the funds raised in Grey and Bruce Counties from the various shaveoffs will go towards children’s cancer research,
Cancer survivors, whose treatment often results in hair loss, are honoured when others in their community volunteer to lose their own hair to raise funds for cancer research.
Christo relates the Downtown Owen Sound campaign hopes to beat last year’s total, but stresses the most important aspect of the event is to either participate or support the activity wherever a campaign is taking place
The Bluewater Unit has raised 2.3 million dollars since the local campaign began in 1997, with the high water mark coming in 2005 when 313 thousand was raised.
Last year’s fundraising total for the Bluewater Unit was just over 156 thousand dollars.