I had been growing my hair out for about a year, the first half out of sheer apathy for a stylistic dew. Then someone mentioned St. Baldrick’s. Six months later… eight inches of hair sat at my feet, and I am suddenly aware of how cold an air conditioner breeze really is.
…
I started with Fadó about a year ago, likely getting my last haircut before my first day in a new office. With any new job, the first week is filled with introductions, getting acquainted with where the coffee is, and how traffic affects your commute (read: if I leave after 4 p.m., I might as well keep a cooler and a hot plate at my desk).
At Fadó, it doesn’t take long to realize that it’s a fit for anyone who loves pubs, jokes, and working toward a goal. (Side note: No, we don’t get hammered at lunch). It’s impressive how passionate this organization is about the brand and everything it touches. (Side note to the side note: Yes, I wish we got hammered at lunch sometimes).
The goal is, as with any business, to get people into our pubs — to share the craic with as many people as we can. But, sometimes that goal is to use our success to help others — to share our space and our resources with the community that has embraced us for so long.
Enter the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. They may not refer to themselves as this, but they are a kick ass organization that raises money for childhood cancer research. They also happen to have Irish roots, so… we get along OK.
The first time I heard about St. Baldrick’s was in October of 2016, as the discussion around St. Patrick’s Day began to unfold. I was on the precipice of a haircut, largely because of the torment I was receiving from my friend group:
“Did you make the first cut of the girl’s JV soccer team tryouts?”
“Cute head band. Your girlfriend miss it?”
“Your hair is glorious and I am incredibly jealous of your golden locks.”
OK, made that last one up. Maybe. But I stuck with the long hair cause because, well, I decided it was coming off for a cause. See, year after year, as we prep for St. Patrick’s Day, we also bolster our annual partnership with St. Baldrick’s, meaning there’s a push to convince people to shave their head and help them raise money. (This year we convinced our president and CEO, Kieran McGill to jump on board. He ended up raising more than $25,000 and totally looks like Walter White with a bald head).
Jump to February of this year. Fundraising begins with a series of targeted, well-thought-out Facebook posts, engaging all of my friends, and raising well over… $100. Welp, I thought, the turtle won the race. I stuck with it and at the risk of losing followers and annoying everyone in my circle, I managed to reach my goal of an “impressive” $1,500.
Some donated $5. Some donated $500. The point is: people donated and my hair was coming off at a price.
The experience was one I won’t forget soon. It was not only an introduction to Fadó — and how the pub embraces its community — it was a way of introducing myself to Fado and the community it supports.
I’m glad to have supported St. Baldrick’s and its cause to help cure childhood cancer. Yes, my hair has since grown back nicely, but I hope my measly $1,500 can help someone grow back their health.
More importantly, I’m just a small, small part of the efforts. In fact, I was only one of nearly 800 people who signed up to be shavees this year, and that $1,500 was around 0.0015% of the money Fadó events raised in 2017 alone.
….
Since joining forces with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation 15 years ago, nearly 9,000 heads have been shaved in the name of childhood cancer research at Fadó, all while raising more money than any other pub or restaurant in the country. Yup, it’s pretty remarkable and we are stoked to be a part of such an important and worthwhile cause.
Let’s crunch some numbers:
- 130+ head-shaving events hosted at Fadó.
- 8,700+ freshly bald people walking out of pubs.
- $27,000+ raised by Fadó president and CEO Kieran McGill alone in 2017.
- $10,075,000+ raised by all Fado events to-date.
Only one word can describe it: dope.
In all seriousness, Fadó is incredibly proud to team up with St. Baldrick’s year after year and we are excited to see that partnership continue to increase in size and fundraising efforts as the years progress.
We urge all who read this to pop over to St. Baldrick’s website and give them a solid look. It doesn’t have to be St. Patrick’s Day for us to get all amped up for fundraising, so donate a couple of bucks and keep a look out for next year’s events.
Bald looks good on everyone (except for people with weird heads, but we still love them and appreciate the willingness to shave it off, even if they look like a character from “The X-Files”).
If you’re into reading press releases, you can check out what St. Baldrick’s wrote up for Fadó hitting the $10 million mark here.
Have your own St. Baldrick’s story? We’d love to hear about it! Email ljohnson@fadoirishpub.com to share.
