The village’s annual Saint Baldrick’s Day had another successful year in terms of fundraising at Marcus Christ Hall. The premise of St. Baldrick’s is to have people shave their heads in order to raise money to fight childhood cancer. The event is organized in conjunction with the Nassau County Police Department’s Third Precinct and the Village of New Hyde Park.
“We had about 40 people get shaved, and with the money raised on the day of, we will hit $40,000 for this year,” said retired Nassau County Third Precinct officer, Nick Mosesso, who was the lead organizer for the event. “That brings our 11-year total to more than $465,000.”
One of the highlights for this year was police commissioner Patrick Ryder, who attended the event and then decided to get his head shaved.
“We did an impromptu collection and raised $350 for his shave,” said Mosesso. “Another highlight, was a young guy who had not cut his hair for four years and he had it all shaved off.”
Several young elementary school boys also had their heads shaved. Other attendees and donors included the New Hyde Park Lions, the New Hyde Park Chamber of Commerce, Town of North Hempstead Councilman Angelo Ferrara and Commissioner Ryder, among others.
Approximately 20 businesses donated gift cards for the event’s raffle prizes, while North Shore Farms provided food for the event. Pat Farrell, a former village clerk for New Hyde Park, provided music and the entertainment.
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is an international nonprofit organization with the aim of raising funds to help find cures for children with cancer. The concept of the foundation is to have volunteers, who are sponsored by family, friends and employers, to shave their heads or “chop” their ponytails in solidarity with children who typically lose their hair during cancer treatment in order to raise funds.
