Rase-a-Thon

A long long time ago B.K (before Katimavik), I once asked my friend Erika SchramWOWsky about what my coolest attribute was. I don't even know if she remembers this conversation but the answer she gave me was one I wouldn't forget! She told me that it was my hair which made me who I was and said it was always perfectly placed. Hair is something so materialistic and shallow that it couldn't be what made me cool, does no one care about my caring personality, but the more I thought about it the more sense it made.

I had friends in High School but it wasn't until near the end of grade 10 that my real social life actually started. What was the drastic change that gave me more self confidence to actually make friends and then hang out with them. Well it could have been the years of therapy I went through to feel more empowered about who I am but it is probably more accurate to say that the change coincided when I started to get decent hair cuts instead of the dreaded buzz or bowl cut I got from my lovely mother. There is nothing wrong with getting a family member of friend to cut your hair, infact in Katimavik it is an common occurrence. It is easier on the pocket book and it can even be a good bonding experience for both people. High School is a different world however where looks mean everything. People will judge you in an instant and dismiss you like last years fashion if you are not on your game. When I started getting nice haircuts I all of a sudden didn't feel like people were watching or judging me so I was way more free to just be myself. It may be stupid and petty reasoning but sometimes it is the little things that make the difference.

Anyways let us fast forward to present time. I like to think the hair plays an important role in who I am. I mean I have dyed it twice in the last six months and once again I have changed my look. This time however I decided to completely shave of all my hair. My Katimavik group went to go volunteer at a head shaving fundraiser for cancer. Ten years ago Marie-Helene Cote started this fundraiser with the help of her friends and family. At the time she was battling cancer and she was only in her late teens. She wanted to raise money for people in her situation to get an opportunity to travel and visit remote and beautiful places in the world. A physical experience to motivate individuals battling cancer and give them the extra boost they need in life. Marie-Helene herself went to Kenya with the foundation "On the Tip of the Toes" and got to climb one of the tallest mountains in the region. Marie-Helene unfortunately passed away the following year but her memory lives on. The "Rase-a-thon" has now raised over 1 million dollars for the foundation which has brought numerous smiles to individuals and families navigating through troubling times. It was a no brainer to shed my materialistic guard and help out for a good cause.



...I may have potentially just ruined the one thing that made me decently cool in my life, but hair will grow back and I might find the whole egg head look kind of cool....