Five years ago, Sam Marx, began his journey at Notre Dame with the Class of 2012 but soon after lost his battle with cancer. Inspired by Sam, a small group of Notre Dame freshmen began an event to benefit pediatric cancer research on a local and national scale. Five years later, The Bald & The Beautiful: ND Fights Cancer (TBAB) has become a premier student-led event. It has contributed more than $150,000 to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and Memorial Hospital of South Bend, and over 400 hair donations to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.
Donations
- Donations to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation come with participants volunteering to shave their heads for the cause; and to-date over 20 females show their incredible spirit of support at our events.
- Donations to Pantene Beautiful Lengths come from the sacrifice of at least eight inches of hair that goes towards the creation of wigs for cancer patients.
- Donations for Memorial Hospital of South Bend come from the sale of colored hair extensions, with each color representing different types of cancer so that participants may honor friends or loved ones by choosing an extension specific to their battle.
Last year, the event had over 1600 participants, which represents about 20% of the undergraduate student body. Faculty, staff, community members, and students of all levels have come forward to show the true spirit of Notre Dame through the opportunities that TBAB provides.
Become a bald & beautiful participant
- Register to shave your head, donate hair, or get hair extensions at bald.nd.edu
- Fundraise by emailing friends and family asking for support of the cause, hosting bake-sales, encourage your dormmates, RA or roommates to donate in your name
- Start penny wars between fundraising teams
- Set a group goal and post a “fund-raiser thermometer” to measure success!
- Host lab section competitions around number of participants, total funds raised, etc.
- Even simple encouragement and spreading the word for others to participate will be a huge help!
Come to the event
Feel free to stop by LaFortune Student Center anytime during the three-day event.
The College of Science is a proud sponsor of this event.