<r the third straight year, Carls walking through Sayles on Monday probably noticed that the Great Hall had been transformed into a large salon; students, faculty and staff alike were sitting in chairs getting their hair cut. Carleton’s ACT center organized Cuts for Cancer, the annual event designed to raise awareness about cancer and cancer treatments, raise financial devotions to give to organizations devoted to cancer research, and provide hair for children suffering from long-term or permanent hair loss.
All proceeds from Cuts for Cancer support the Ted Mullin Memorial Fund at the University of Chicago (Mullin was a member of the class of 2006 who died of cancer). This year, $1,297 was raised for the fund. 37 hair donations were made to Locks of Love.
“Some people (like me!) also choose to have their head shaved, said hall director Toby Uecker, “either to donate more hair or as a show of support for the causes we serve.” Uecker served as coordinator of the event with Lily Sasse ’08.
Hal Edmonson ’09 also shaved his head this year. “Last year I did it as part of a floor event to get people to volunteer,” Edmonson said, “and I was drawn to it because of the funds, and, more importantly, the support it generates.”
For Uecker, the personal connections involved with Cuts for Cancer are another aspect of what makes the event so important. Donating the money raised to a fund in Ted Mullin’s name makes Cuts for Cancer even more meaningful to a lot of individuals in the Carleton community, Uecker said. “I hear stories every year from people who volunteer or donate money simply because the goals of the event resonate with them on a personal level,” he added.
“Last winter,” Edmonson said, “one of my good friends from home lost her father after he battled brain cancer for nearly three years.” Being away from his friend and unable to support his friend like he would have liked, Edmonson said, Cuts for Cancer became an outlet for that frustration, “on top of it already being an intrinsically good cause,” he added.
“The campus community gives generously to this cause as a way of honoring Ted’s memory,” said Laura Riehle-Merrill, the Director of ACT. “We’re really proud of this event because it’s a great collaboration between ACT and local hairstylists, who donate hours of their time to volunteer to cut students’ hair.”
Seven different stylists from four different local salons participated in Cuts for Cancer this year: Buzz Salon, Northfield Great Clips for Hair, Studio 300, and T&R Beauty Bar. 49 haircuts were scheduled, and 65 actually took place, said Uecker.
Aside from the stylists who volunteered their time, Uecker said, there were also over 25 volunteers from the Carleton community who helped out with the event.
“It’s wonderful to see a wide cross-section of the Carleton community come together for these events,” Uecker said. “The people getting haircuts and donating their time and money weren’t just students or faculty members.” Rather, Uecker said, faculty, staff, and students were all involved in some way with Cuts for Cancer.
Every year, Riehle-Merrill said, something special and unexpected happens at the event. This year, one student’s parent attended the event and gave a $100 donation. Cuts for Cancer was especially meaningful to this parent, Riehle-Merrill said, because she was a cancer survivor herself.
Another year, a group of Ted’s professors anonymously donated hundreds of dollars to honor Mullin, Riehle-Merrill said.
“These acts of generosity show us the profound impact cancer has had on many people’s lives,” Riehle-Merrill said.
“It’s great to be able to explain that the reason for all the newly shorn locks on campus,” Uecker said, “is to raise money for a great cause and bring the whole campus together.”