Shave the Governor!

I had thought about offering to shave my head to promote this idea locally, but here's guessing I wouldn't have found too many folks supporting that plan. Or a happy wife when I got home.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Some people call Illinois’ new Governor “Blago.”

If a couple people have their way, we’ll soon be calling him “Baldo.”

This isn’t so much a commentary on Gov. Rod’s poofy coif (which probably deserves special attention from our friends at InStyle magazine), but a finger-crossing that Blagojevich will do the right thing and offer his locks to be shorn all in the name of charity.

Blagojevich has been asked to join the thousands of people nationwide celebrating St. Baldrick’s Day. St. Baldrick’s volunteers will be shaved bald later this month to raise money for the National Childhood Cancer Fund (NCCF).

In addition to media personalities and political figures, average citizens can join the St. Baldrick’s fun through a simple visit to http://stbaldricks.org. Participants, referred to online as “Shavees,” collect donations from families, friends and neighbors who want to see them shaved bald. They then attend a St. Baldrick’s event, typically held on March 17, to be part of a group shearing. The site offers information for those wishing to facilitate their own local event.

According to the Internet site, the tradition was created by John Bender and Enda McDonnell, two reinsurance executives from New York City. A few years ago, the men decided pub-crawling was a fine St. Patrick’s Day tradition, but not as fine as helping young cancer patients, many of whom lose their hair during radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Challenged by friend Tim Kenny to help make a difference, the St. Baldrick’s evolved quickly.

The idea of public head shaving in response to financial support grew and, with the help of the Internet, soon became an international event. In three years, the group has contributed more than $1 million to the NCCF. Much of that came in 2002 when nearly $900,000 was donated, completely eclipsing the 2001 total of just over $100,000.

So how does Blagojevich fit in? Eric Zorn, a Chicago Tribune columnist and future shavee, decided to use his high profile post to draw a big-name shavee to this years’ Chicago event. At least 75 Chicagoans will be shorn March 14 at the Smith & Wollensky steakhouse.

The results of Zorn’s on-line poll actually had a radio host take first place, but the man will be on his honeymoon on the 14th. Second place? You guessed it — Gov. Rod. Now the goal is to get enough pledge money promised so Blagojevich will have no choice but to go bald and help the NCCF at the same time.

The last reported pledge total is up to $1,750. A noble amount to help cancer, but not the kind of coin that persuades a man trying to solve a $5 billion deficit to lose his hair while the winter wind still blows.

The St. Baldrick’s Web site contains an online pledging option for those who would like to contribute funds to the NCCF in exchange for seeing the governor shaved bald on March 14. Already signed up for 2003 celebrations are 891 male and 100 female shavees set to be shorn at 109 locations. Several donation sites have already received more than $5,000 in online pledges, led by $14,255 already pledged for Jim Brady’s, the Manhattan restaurant where St. Baldrick’s began. A bar in Colorado Springs, Colo., will see 229 people go bald.

Figures on the St. Baldrick’s website are updated hourly, meaning the numbers will surely have increased by the time you read this. Sadly, there are no St. Baldrick’s events in Iowa, or any in Illinois outside of Chicago and its suburbs. That too, could change, should anyone become inspired to pick up the torch.

Will we see Blago become Baldo? Probably not. Would it be good public relations? Certainly. Elementary school principals do it all the time, and the routinely make the front pages of local papers. If Blagojevich offers up his skull to help fight cancer in children, the whole country would take notice. Here’s hoping Gov. Rod would do the right thing for more than just the money.