Plymouth-Canton Community Members Go Bald to Raise Money for Cancer Research

On Sunday, more than 60 people will have their heads shaved at Claddaugh Irish Pub in order to raise money for cancer research. 

The annual St. Baldrick's Foundation fundraiser, run by Plymouth resident Eric Bacyinski and his partner Robert Drzewicki, has already raised a little more than $25,000. 

Since Bacyinski and Drzewicki took over the event three years ago, they have steadily increased the amount raised as well as turnout every single year. Three years ago, the local event raised $8,000. The year after that brought in $12,000 Last year raised $27,000. 

"I participated in the event four years ago," Bacyinski said. "I was looking for something to do community service-wise and thought it would be fun. Personally, as much as I respect marathoners, I wasn't looking to get involved in something quite that heavy, that committed. Shaving my head - I thought that's pretty easy, it doesn't take any training or anything else like that. I can do that.

"Then we got into it more and more," Bacyinski said. "It's like quicksand, it kept sucking us in further and further. Before you know it, here we are four years later."

Bacyinski said he hopes to raise about $30,000 this year, and the key to that was reaching out to local organizations and businesses to put together their own teams. Among them are UM Dearborn, Best Buy, an in-house Claddaugh team and Northville Township Fire, who is the second top fundraising team with $3,545 raised as of Thursday night. 

Bacyinski said they usually raise another $3,000 to $5,000 the day of the event. 

Organizations and businesses aren't the only ones Bacyinski targets as potential shavees - he also goes after his friends. Last year, he convinced Nick Stonerook, Campaign & Finance Associate for the Plymouth Community United Way, to participate. 

Stonerook said Bacyinski conned him, but it is a good cause and he plans to keep doing it. 

"We all know people who have cancer and have to get rid of their hair without having a choice because of chemo and stuff, so I guess me shaving my head and having my hair grow back is such a small sacrifice to make," he said. "My hair will grow back - and it doesn't even take that long. It's just hair."

Claddaugh Irish Pub is located at 17800 Haggerty Rd. in Livonia. For more information, or to sign up as a volunteer or shavee, visit the St. Baldrick's event page.