FirstCarolinaCare Employee Shaves Head for St. Baldrick's Fundraiser
Vonnie Thomas, health resource coordinator with FirstCarolinaCare, challenged friends, family members and co-workers to support kids undergoing cancer treatments by paying to see her shave her head. Posing for a photo before shedding her locks are Thomas and her 11 year old daughter, Faith Rogers (photo at left). Thomas received more than $1,200 in contributions for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and was all smiles after making good on her challenge at the shaving event held during Pinehurst’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade (as illustrated in photo to the right).
PINEHURST – Elizabeth “Vonnie” Thomas, R.N., health resource coordinator with FirstCarolinaCare, had never heard about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation until two weeks ago. It occurred as she listened to the radio about an event during which people were shaving their heads to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.
“Wow! What a huge thing for someone to do,” Thomas thought as she listened to the broadcast.
Not long after she first heard about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation on the radio, Thomas got an e-mail from a co-worker announcing that two local fifth-grade girls planned to shave their heads at Pinehurst’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade in support of children with cancer. That was all the motivation Thomas needed.
“If two young girls were brave enough to do it, then I could also shed my shoulder-length hair in solidarity with children and teens fighting cancer,” she says.
Thomas joined a group of 28 individuals, collectively referred to as “Moore Fools,” who committed to the head-shaving at the local St. Paddy’s Day parade in return for donations to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Thomas’s mother-in-law died three years ago after battling cancer. “She lost her hair twice during separate rounds of chemotherapy treatment,” Thomas says. “The St. Baldrick’s Foundation is centered around children, but I was motivated to join the crusade because of what I watched my mother-in-law go through.”
As Thomas prepared for the shaving event on St. Patrick’s Day morning, she admits, she felt a little anxiety as she washed and styled her long hair for what would be the last time for quite a while. Eagerness quickly replaced her jitters, though, as she gathered with fellow members of “Moore Fools” and prepared for the shearing.
One of only three females in the group, Thomas was third to be shaved and followed the two brave fifth-graders who inspired her to participate in the event.
“As I watched those two little girls shave their heads, it brought tears to my eyes,” she says. “I became anxious for my turn to step up and show my support.”
Thomas’s friends, family members and co-workers have been extremely supportive through donations and words of encouragement. Perhaps the best encouragement came from her 8-year-old son who said to his mom with her newly shorn head, “You’re still beautiful!”
To date, “Moore Fools” has raised more than $7,000 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, surpassing the group’s initial goal of $5,000.
“As the mother of four children, I can only imagine the pain that these parents and children go through, yet remain so brave,” Thomas says. “May God bless the parents, children, families, doctors, nurses, and researchers as they continue to face and battle this enemy.”
To learn more about St. Baldrick’s Foundation or to make a donation, visit www.stbaldricks.org.