Fundraiser to go bald is for good cause

WASHINGTON, D.C. (NBC/WRC) - A head-shaving fundraiser at a Washington pub helped battle childhood cancer.

The St. Baldrick's Foundation hosts the events nationwide to raise money and awareness for childhood cancer research.

About 15 people registered for the D.C. event on Sunday afternoon.

The volunteers collect pledges from donors and shave their heads in solidarity with kids fighting cancer.

Austin's event happens March 23 at Dell Children's Medical Center at 10 a.m.

In-Depth: St. Baldrick's outreach

Last year and the year before, Fado Irish Pub teamed up with St. Baldrick's Foundation, which included head-shaving for the cause, live music and Irish dancers. The event raised almost $63,000, and more than 90 people signed up to shave their head.

Since the fundraiser's start in 2000, more than 190,000 people have had their heads shaved at almost 5,000 St. Baldrick's events worldwide.

Firefighters and police officers are the two largest groups nationwide that have taken on this annual event.

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Since 2005, the foundation has awarded grants totaling more than $57 million. Grants are awarded in spring and fall each year for infrastructure at medical facilities and research groups.

In 2010 alone, on a national level, the event raised more than $22 million.

According to St. Baldrick's Foundation, each year, 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer worldwide. Cancer is the deadliest disease of children in the U.S. and Canada.

Those who would like to share a childhood cancer story can do so on the foundation's website.

For those who might wonder what they would look like bald, there's an iPhone application called HeadBlade that allows a person to see what they would look like with no hair.