Mane-iacs are Shavers who grow their hair between Shaves for the Brave and get just one massive haircut each year. Noah Quilty took that to the extreme by growing his long locks for his entire high school experience to Shave right before wrapping up grade 12!
Noah said, “A lot of people know me for my hair, just because there’s not many people in my school who have hair like it.”
His huge pile of curly brown hair was well-known in the halls and his classmates were looking forward to seeing it all go, but the school’s administration wasn’t on board with offering up class time for the cause. While some schools do host Shaves during lunch or after hours, attendance and morale tends to suffer, and after three years of talking about his hair, Noah felt the cause deserved dedicated attention.
“Pretty much everybody I talk to asks ‘When are you Shaving your head?’ The word’s gotten around a lot, and I think it has raised a lot of good awareness, a lot of support,” he said. “It would be great for [students] to see where their support actually went. If we did it at the school, they’d know my name, they’d know more about me. It’s a more personal touch.”
He has been challenged by others who don’t agree with the Shave’s mandate of funding support programs and services to help young adults deal with psychosocial issues related to cancer at their stage of life, so he took initiative to look into Young Adult Cancer Canada’s expenditures and decided he truly does support the cause.
“It’s about supporting people who are dealing with cancer now, and YACC is all about making them feel better and accepted because when they’re diagnosed, it’s very hard to deal with that and they might feel like they’re all alone. You’ve got to look at what Shave for the Brave is all about.”
Noah is a member of the youth advisory council for his town, student council member, and Duke of Edinburgh participant, and says he is dedicated to helping people who need it—especially those who are actively looking for help. As an active young adult on the verge of a demanding university schedule, he also understands how a cancer diagnosis affects young adults across the country.
He said, “I’m going into Engineering next year and that’s obviously going to take up a lot of time and I’m going to have to put a lot of work into it. If I was diagnosed, I’m not sure if I would be able to go through with that. I also think about my friends and family and how it would affect them all.”
Shave Day
On June 14, 2016, instead of Shaving in front of his school’s entire student body, the Conception Bay South Town Council offered up their chambers for Noah’s Shave. His friends and family members flocked to the venue and made it one of the most personal events we have seen.
His hair was strategically sectioned into nine ponytails so each council member could take their turn chopping off a few curls. Mayor Stephen Tessier was adamant that everyone was given the chance to assist in the Shave and invited Noah’s mother, father, and sister to take a turn with the razor. Young Adult Cancer Canada’s founder and executive director Geoff Eaton even got in on the action! To date, Noah has raised over $1,750 for young adults dealing with cancer.
(If you’d like to add to his total, donate here before July 31, 2016!)
[EDITORS’ NOTE: Noah, we are all so impressed with your drive, ambition, and generosity. It takes guts to fight for what you believe in, to overcome obstacles which challenge your motivation, and to purposely stand apart from the crowd for a cause—especially in high school. We’re looking forward to hearing about more of the amazing things you’ll do in the future. Thank you for adding fuel to our fire.]
Big thanks to Brad Pitcher, Mayor Stephen Tessier, and all the town councillors; and to volunteer stylist Toni from Just for Men CBS for making this a memorable evening! 
