Blog: Los Gatos Student Goes Bald, Raises Nearly $50K For St. Baldrick’s

What started as a “fun thing to do” for middle-schooler has raised nearly $50,000 benefiting childhood cancer research.

Ben first got the idea to shave his head in March 2011, when St. Baldrick’s Foundation coordinated an event at in Los Gatos. Sporting his new bald head after school that day flabbergasted his mom Holly, brother Jack and sister Megan. 

“It was a great thing to do because my Mom was bald. When I came home, she was really excited and proud of me,” says Ben, who only shared the pre-event paperwork with his dad Mike. “Dad said we needed more than one person bald in the family.” 

Ben's mother, Holly Clayville had cancer and had lost her hair due to her medical treatments. Sadly she died in September of 2011.

The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives.

Ben’s fundraising efforts landed him a spot on St. Baldrick’s 2011 list of top participants. Logging $25,091.50 in donations, Ben is ranked the sixth top “student”-designated fundraiser worldwide.

Ben’s primary fundraising strategy was e-mailing family and friends. “I thought I’d raise maybe a couple hundred dollars,” recalls Ben. “So after the first week, when I was up to $4,000, I was really surprised!” 

Ben says he worried only “just a little” about how he’d look bald because he was fundraising for two important causes: to support his mom and to raise money for childhood cancer research. “To some extent, it’s a selfless pursuit,” adds Mike, “not worrying about what you look like and what other kids think. Holly was very proud of Ben being willing to alter his appearance as a middle-schooler. I also appreciated that level of camaraderie between Ben and his mother. It was and is a great way to honor the fight Holly ensued.” 

In addition to supporting childhood cancer research, Mike recently created the Clayville Family Foundation that seeks to accelerate the discovery of new cancer-causing viruses and expand the understanding of their role in cancer development. Initial funding supports the Stanford Cancer Institute’s research on viral-induced changes in human DNA leading to cancer.

Team Clayville Increases Fundraising in 2012

This year Ben is captain of St. Baldrick’s “Team Clayville,” having inspired his dad and brother Jack to be shaved while sister Megan got to be barber for her dad’s head.

Team Clayville stepped it up a notch further by participating in two St. Baldrick’s signature head-shaving events, one corporate-sponsored and the other at Ben’s middle school. This time Captain Ben has a lot higher fundraising expectations, as Team Clayville closes in on its fundraising goal of $40,000.

"It is truly inspiring to see a student like Ben become so passionate about the cause to Conquer Kids' Cancer," said Mariela Castillo, director of special events for the St. Baldrick's Foundation. "We are honored to have the continued support of Ben and his family. Like so many, they have been personally affected by cancer and with their help, and others around the world, we will continue to fund the best in childhood cancer research, so that children not only survive, but thrive."

At the corporate event, a little girl who had brain cancer but who now “gets to grow up” told her survivor story. She reminded Megan of a courageous classmate and girlfriend who was treated for leukemia. Heartbreaking stories and the inspiring voices of children who survived cancer are a call to action for listeners like Ben, Jack and Megan Clayville.

Back at Fisher Middle School, 46 people -- largely students and faculty -- participated in the 2012 head-shaving event versus 30 participants last year. While the numbers are up, being bald can’t be called “popular.” Yet.

For more information about the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising opportunity benefiting childhood cancer research, go to www.stbaldricks.org. To make a donation to Team Clayville, go to http://www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage/78210/2012. To make a gift to the Clayville Research Fund at Stanford, please go to http://cancer.stanford.edu/help/gift.html, indicate the designation is for “other” and in the comment box type: Gift to the Clayville Research Fund.