Rio Rancho Volunteers Raise Over $30,000 for Childhood Cancer Research at 19th Annual St. Baldrick's Event

Gideon Cook took a few years to work up the courage to shave his head, but by the time it happened at the Rio Rancho Events Center on Sunday, the smile on the 11-year-old's face seemed to suggest he had no regrets. Cook was far from alone: first responders and Rio Rancho residents shaved their heads at the New Mexico Firefighters & Friends St. Baldrick's event, raising more than $30,000 for childhood cancer research benefiting UNM Children's Hospital.

By Sunday afternoon, over $30,000 had been raised toward a $50,000 goal, according to the event's website. The 19th annual fundraiser, held at the Rio Rancho Events Center, was organized by the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a California-based nonprofit that has its own pediatric cancer team and provides grants to cancer researchers. All funds raised will go toward the St. Baldrick's Foundation and its grantee, the University of New Mexico Children's Hospital.

Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull challenged the community to raise $10,000 and promised to put his own hair on the line if the goal was met. Roughly $6,000 was raised specifically for his shave, and Hull kept his word. "I knew the minute I raised $1 that I was going to have to shave my head," Hull said. "I was sitting there just watching the kids dance and smile and have a good time, and I thought to myself, that's what a childhood is supposed to be about."

At the center of the event, as he has been for nearly two decades, stood Roger Tannen. Every March for the past 19 years, Tannen, an emergency department nurse at UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, has kept a "can't-miss" appointment with an electric shaver, a crowd, and a cause. A retired deputy chief with the Bernalillo County Fire Department and nurse with UNM Sandoval Regional Medical Center, Tannen also volunteers to organize the entire Rio Rancho event. His dedication traces back to a personal crisis: nineteen years ago, Tannen's 8-year-old nephew was diagnosed with leukemia; Tannen, a Bernalillo County firefighter at the time, felt helpless. His nephew is now an adult and doing well. This year, Tannen dedicated his shave to 4-year-old Adrian, who is currently in remission from acute myeloid leukemia.

What began as an act of solidarity has become something more personal. "When I was first doing it, it was embarrassing," Tannen said. "I'd get up there on stage and it was very nerve-wracking. But now, it's a very humbling experience." For Tannen, the event's meaning extends well beyond the dollars collected. "That hope comes from the support of communities," he said. "It's not just the event raising money, it's the community coming together in solidarity and recognizing kids' cancer exists and it's not to be ignored, and it's best that we bring it to the forefront."

Sunday's event wasn't all about heart-wrenching statistics; it was about community. As local music and dance groups performed, three volunteers got their heads shaved at a time to the delight of onlookers as Logan Rader and Monica Wicke, co-hosts of New Mexico Living, served as masters of ceremony. Anyone who donated at least $50 qualified for a head shave. Beard and eyebrow shaves were also available in exchange for donations, and hair could be made into a wig for a child with cancer if the locks were at least 12 inches long. "Every donation matters, guys — every single penny," Rader said before a massive cash donation was given for a beard shave.

Rio Rancho resident Jose Padilla, who knew a neighbor who died of cancer last July 4, put it plainly: "Anytime you hear about cancer for kids, they think their life is over — but there's still hope they can find a cure."

The urgency behind that hope is grounded in hard numbers. Even as the five-year survival rate for children with cancer is increasing, 1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer will not survive, according to St. Baldrick's website. The New Mexico Firefighters & Friends event has worked to chip away at those odds for 19 consecutive years, and with fundraising still open toward the $50,000 goal, Sunday's shaved heads may yet yield even more for researchers working to change them.