Shear Fun!

St. Baldrick’s events inspire chrome domes for a great cause.

By Rebecca Calappi

When Peyton Barron was just five years old, she lost her battle with brain cancer. She put up a brave fight for three years. Unfortunately, all the treatments and clinical trials couldn’t keep the cancer at bay. Kaitlan Milantoni remembers St. Baldrick’s as a primary supporter of her family during her daughter’s illness.

“Peyton could light up a room. She was as normal as she could be at five, and her world of normal was doctor appointments,” recalled Milantoni. “After you go through all the treatments, you get tossed into the world of clinical trials. That’s where St. Baldrick’s comes in. And that’s where the cure is going to be found.”

St. Baldrick’s is a national foundation dedicated to funding research and clinical trials to end childhood cancer. Every year, events are held across the nation in support of St. Baldrick’s. Participants collect donations and in return, they have their heads shaved on stage at a community event.

Milantoni first got involved with St. Baldrick’s in 2015.

“It was very welcoming and celebrating the kids who were there. It’s something special to be part of for the best reasons,” she said.

Most people at St. Baldrick’s events have a personal connection to the cause, like Kevin Danaj, a volunteer with St. Baldrick’s and a co-organizer of the Romeo event held each year in March.

“I was a soccer coach for my son when he was in second grade,” Danaj said. “One of the players, Noah, a local Romeo kid, had neuroblastoma. We felt like we needed to do something.”

So, he helped with a St. Baldrick’s event in Mount Clemens in 2008, which morphed into the Romeo event in the following years.

Comb On Over!

“Everyone in Romeo gets involved. And the more you get involved, the more fun you have,” said Tom Martin, a volunteer with the Romeo Lion’s Club that chose St. Baldrick’s as their give-back project. “We get donations from local businesses and we have a nice prize package from UMW Field (formerly Jimmy Johns Field) and the local bowling alley. We get a great cross section of donations and gifts.”

In  Romeo,  the  St. Baldrick’s   event   is Saturday, March 14, at the Romeo Lions Club. The fun starts at noon with  the  first  round of head shaving slated for 1:30 p.m. The event includes children’s activities, prizes, raffles, music and food. Organizers hope to get at least 150 participants to shave their heads. Local barbers, including Milantoni (who has a cosmetology license), donate their time and chairs for the cause.

Shavees

The events inspire shavees from elementary school age and beyond. Utica Mayor Gus Calandrino is a shavee for the Rochester event on March 29 at 1 p.m. at O’Connor’s Public House.

Calandrino first shaved his head for St. Baldrick’s in 2025 after a friend asked him to “donate his head.”

“It was pretty emotional,” he recalled. “My wife, mother and sister showed up with me. I lost a friend to cancer in January 2024, then my younger sister to cancer in February the same year. So, I had two funerals for two people I loved and cared about. You can’t separate that from the life experience you’re feeling.”

“It’s humbling to see people care that much to take a day out of their lives and to live with a bald head.” Utica Mayor Gus Calandrino

Steve Nakis, fire chief in Bruce Township, started shaving for St. Baldrick’s in 2009. In fact, one year, he raised $500 per eyebrow and Detroit Lions’ alum Herman Moore did the honors.

“I love this cause,” Nakis said. “It’s phenomenal. If you can help save one kid, that’s huge.”

Milantoni agrees.

“It’s a fun event,” she said. “It’s celebrating the kids and remembering them, and it gets parents like me talking again.”

Peyton was involved in several clinical trials.

“You do it because you care. It’s for a cause,” said Milantoni. “It’s so easy to not think about it. But we’re helping more people find a cure for the kids. There’s got to be something.”

Get Involved

“We have a lot of community-centric individuals in Romeo. It’s nice to see the involvement we see from everyone in town,” said Martin.

Everyone is invited to help or donate. Please check St. Baldrick’s official website for events still accepting shavees: stbaldricks.org, or for the Romeo event, visit romeosb.com.