Chiaraville Kids and St.Baldrick's Pair Up for a Hair-Raising Event

Chiaravalle Kids and St. Baldrick’s Pair Up for a Hair-Razing Event

Students from Chiaravalle Montessori School will host their first ever St. Baldrick’s event on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. The school is located at 425 Dempster in Evanston. The fundraiser honors Sophia Zematis, who is enrolled in the Early Childhood program at Chiaravalle. Sophia was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2015.

St. Baldrick’s events are dedicated to helping children with childhood cancer realize they’re not alone …volunteers often have their heads shaved so that kids who lose their hair during cancer treatments feel more comfortable in their battle against this dreaded disease.

This is a student-led fundraiser with Joshua Rein, a sixth grader heading up the event with Sarah Zematis, mother of Sophia, assisting. Joshua will be joined by many friends, including Leo and Ralph Zematis, brothers of Sophia, in the head-lining, hair shaving event.

Ralph Zematis explained why he will be one of those getting his head shaved, “My four-year-old sister, Sophia, was diagnosed with a brain tumor two years ago and is still in treatment. My friend, Josh, is hosting an event, called Chiaravalle Kids Conquer Kids' Cancer (CKCKC) to raise money for pediatric cancer research. I want to help Sophia and all her friends so I'm going to get my head shaved. We hope lots of people will make a donation."

Sponsors, both monetary and in-kind, are encouraged to contact Allison Maguire, 773-620-6422 regarding sponsorship opportunities. To donate St. Baldrick's, interested parties can also go to http://www.stbaldricks.org/events/CKCKC... There is also a Facebook link, https://facebook.com/events/21173959251512000/

Shown left to right are: Ralph Zematis, Merritt Wooldridge, Sophia Zematis, Joshua Rein, and Leo Zematis.