On Friday, Nov. 21, students shaved their heads in an effort to stand in solidarity with children facing cancer. Amanda Richards, senior library technical assistant for the Universal Orlando Foundation Library at Rosen College, decided to go under the razor, too. Though a drastic change for some, Richards was inspired to support the students’ efforts for an important cause.
“It is one of the most amazing, rewarding and humbling experiences to have not only children come up to you to ask why you are bald, but to have any number of cancer survivors walk up and thank you or give you a hug and tell you how much it means to them,” said Richards. “I also think that as a woman shaving my head bald, it is a very dramatic way to bring awareness to something that most people don’t want to think about.”
The event was coordinated by St. Baldrick’s Knights, a branch of the national volunteer-driven charity St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which is dedicated to funding research to find cures for childhood cancer and giving survivors long and healthy lives. Watch this short video to learn more about their mission.
Richards is fundraising for St. Baldrick’s Foundation through a personal webpage and the organization also accepts donations online.
For more information about Rosen College, please visit hospitality.ucf.edu.