By Vida Laundry
The CBN Lightning Shave For The Brave was to take place at our soccer field on June 29, 2015, but mother nature decided that it was a great day for rain — and a lot of it! Thankfully, we had the Search and Rescue building as a backup thanks to the town of Bay Roberts. We were all getting nervous as the time was getting close. Mr. Robert Tarrant, who is also the Soccer Club President, brought along his music so that we could have it blasting out while we did the Shave which helped ease some tension.
We started the evening with Mr. Tarrant speaking about what a wonderful thing that was happening and spoke about each of the Shavers. He said that they would all be that much faster on the field now and was very proud of them.
Next to speak was Christoper Bartlett on behalf of the Newfoundland Labrador Soccer Association (NLSA). He said that the event meant so much to him, it spoke highly of the boys, and hit so close to him since he works in the healthcare field. He said from the club’s perspective, it was a wonderful thing for our players to be part of and they should be so proud of themselves.
I spoke next, introducing the four boys and mentioning that the youngest participant, Oliver Noseworthy, wouldn’t be able to make it because he was sick and was disappointed that he couldn’t be there to shave with the “big boys”! Oliver later fulfilled his commitment and Shaved for the Brave at home.
The five boys had managed to raise over $2,500 in just a short time, a fact that made everyone clap and cheer.
The crowed of about 50 then listened as guest speaker, Jordan Bishop spoke about his cancer experience, and how Young Adult Cancer Canada (YACC) has helped. Jordan was just 17-years-old when he was diagnosed and he told us how he dealt with depression and survivors guilt. There was not a dry eye in the place, and we were honoured to have him there. He was such an inspiration to everyone, and suddenly the event took on a whole new purpose for what we were doing!
Our Shavers then presented Jordan with his own unique Shave For The Brave toque with the word “BRAVE” stitched in the back.
Next came time for the shavers to sit in the chair to have Ken Neville from Neville’s Hairstyling in Bay Roberts put his clippers to work. The crowd would chant each Shaver’s name as they sat in the chair.
First up was Jacob Reid. Ken gave him a mohawk before completely shaving it all.
Then we had Kyle Fowler in the chair, and Ken gave him a reverse mohawk. The crowd was cheering them on and the atmosphere was of pure excitement.
Then we had Carter Hickey get under the clippers. Carter was known for his long bangs. Ken shaved all Carter’s hair except the long bangs and then the bangs went, too!
Last up was Damian Laundry. Damian has always been known on the soccer field and around the hockey arena as the player with the trademark long hair. His hair was long enough to donate, so we put it in braids and Ken used the clippers instead of scissors so that we could get as much hair to donate as possible. He even let me cut one of the braids!
What an amazing feeling! Ken made sure to make each boy feel special by doing each shave in a unique way. As each boy finished their shave, Jordan was right there to hand them their Shave for the Brave toque!
While chatting with Jordan as we waited for everyone to get pictures, Jordan mentioned to me that he had forgotten to tell the crowd that the year before he was diagnosed, he himself had participated in a Shave For The Brave. Well, that just moved me so I got the crowd’s attention and shared this with them. It was said that you never know who you are helping when you participate in an event like this!
We sold tickets on a sweet treat bouquet and drew a winner, and we also sold memory/in honour balloons to raise a little extra money, which we released outside after the Shave. Each person read out whose name they had written on their balloons; we had one for Jordan as well. On the count of three, the balloons were released and the evening came to an end.
This was no doubt the most moving and inspirational event I have ever been involved with!
Until next year!
