Organizers strive to 'blowout' goal of $15K: Annual St. Baldrick's event raises money for childhood cancer research

Jeff Larson, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read

Mar. 18—The Irish spirit was alive and well Saturday morning in the form of helping children persevere in the face of potentially life-threatening diseases.

For the 12th time, the owners at The Happy Viking Sports Pub & Eatery have teamed up with a local nonprofit organization known as Sutter Buttes F.O.O.L.S. and its president, Eric Hankins, to raise thousands of dollars to help in the fight against childhood cancer.

The event is called the St. Baldrick's head-shave and it helps raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation and its constant battle to cure kids' cancer.

Sandee Drown, co-owner of The Happy Viking Sports Pub & Eatery with her husband Chris Drown, said the St. Baldrick's head-shave began about 12 years ago with the help of Hankins, also the battalion chief for the Yuba City Fire Department.

Through the tireless work of Hankins and the Drown family, the local St. Baldrick's event keeps growing in participation and dollars raised. This year, Sandee Drown said the event reached its goal of $15,000 within the first hour with the help of 45 pre-registered shavees and a host of fire cadets waiting in line to get their early summer haircuts for St. Baldrick's.

"We have already hit our goal but we are looking to blowout that goal," said Drown, also the president of the Yuba City Downtown Business Association.

Drown has plans to raise the 2025 goal to $25,000 for next year's St. Baldrick's event. In addition to money raised, Yuba City's St. Baldrick's event added barbers to be able to shave more heads during the three-hour span.

Every 15 minutes a volunteer gets their head shaved for cancer research. The turnout was so large that Chris Drown had to wait to schedule his haircut until the final hour.

Sandee Drown said her husband had a 1:45 p.m. appointment to go bald.

Chris Drown does it every year and competes in dollars raised with other community staples like Canon Gilmore, who went from simply eating lunch one day at The Happy Viking to becoming an annual $2,000 donor to St. Baldrick's.

Chris Drown called the event and the groups that support it "great." He looks forward to continuing the event moving forward.

"I'm blown away with this turnout," Drown said. "This is great, so many people showing up for such a great cause."

Sandee Drown said the Early Risers Kiwanis Club of Yuba City is also an annual donor to the event, giving $1,000 to the cause.

Donations are accepted for two weeks after the event by visiting stbaldricks.org.