Cancer: the second leading cause of death and the one word that could bring you to your knees. Now add children into the mixture and that would make anyone break down and cry.

But thanks to charities, like the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, research for this disease is getting huge donations and grants.  St. Baldrick’s started in 2000 and held their first event on March 17 and “has grown into the world’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising opportunity benefiting childhood cancer research,” according to their website.

There are over 230 institutions in The Children’s Oncology Group (COG), which receive most of the funding from St. Baldrick’s, with more than $25 million awarded in grants in 2012. This makes the foundation second-next to government funding for childhood cancer. Some of the grants that the foundation has given out include an infrastructure grant, which helps treat children on clinical trials. There is also the St. Baldrick’s Fellow grant, which is given to a new doctor who specializes in pediatric oncology research.

Local Sacramento businesses, like de Vere’s Irish Pub, are doing their part to help raise awareness and funding through events where participants shave their heads. “We are now in our fourth year doing St. Baldrick’s,” said Henry de Vere White, whose family owns the de Vere’s Irish Pub. “Our father is Chair of the University of California, Davis, Medial Cancer Center, and is passionate about fighting and conquering cancer.”

The de Vere White family own two pubs, with their second location in Davis. Each year they have a “Battle of the Pubs,” and host St. Baldrick’s events at both locations. “We’ve raised over $400,000 between the two,” said de Vere White. This year’s events were on March 11, 2013, from 4-8 p.m. at their Sacramento location (1531 L St., Sacramento, CA 95814) and on March 13 from 5-8 p.m. at their Davis location (217 E St., Davis, CA 95616).

Does shaving your head for cancer research sound like a good idea? Do you want to participate? You can log onto getbald.com, register and find a local event. If shaving your head doesn’t sound like a plan, take Henry de Vere White’s advice, “The best way to avoid the razor is to donate!”