Shave for the Brave News
Ricky Greenwood raises over $6,000!
Posted on Feb 21, 2011
Ricky Greenwood's name has been sitting at the top of the Shaver Leaderboard for a couple of weeks now. This year marks his third consecutive Shave for the Brave (and the first time his fiancée has been able to see him go bald) and it’s looking like he might hold onto that top fundraising spot for the second year in a row.
Ricky dedicates his Shave each year to his mother who has been fighting stage IV melanoma for the past five years.
“I feel challenged to better myself again, and when all is said and done, I walk away with a pretty sweet haircut. I know my contribution goes directly towards great programs and conferences for those who need it most,” he said.
He started growing his hair in August and held his Solo Shave at the Legion in Red Lake, ON, on February 11. The post-Shave total is $5,835* and while his event is technically over, fundraising pages will remain active until the end of the 2011 Shave season.
“Every Friday there is a raffle and a lot of people show up for drinks to wind down after the work week. It’s a good crowd, and they are always willing to support a good cause.
“Most people stuck around to see the shave, and while the shave was conducted people would come up and hand me money just to take a swipe with the clippers. It was a lot of fun. I collected an extra $700 that night.”
He decided to hold his Shave a little earlier than usual because he will head off to Mexico in March and is conscientious of sun damage. "I didn’t want to head down there with no hair. My mom is, after all, a melanoma patient; she’d wring my neck.”
Ricky got involved with the Shave for the Brave in 2009 when he walked into the Village Mall in St. John’s, NL with his Dad and noticed all the bald heads and yellow toques. They thought it was a great idea so they signed up on the fly and were the last two heads Shaved.
His mother completed whole-brain radiation by Christmas that year and she and Ricky were going to shave their heads together once her hair started falling out. "She went and surprised me one day and shaved on her own and I never even realized she had a wig on. [I was] kind of disappointed that we didn’t shave together," he said.
He remembered the Shave for the Brave later that week, signed up, and started fundraising. The Shave allowed him to participate in his mother’s experience while supporting other cancer patients as well.
Two years later, Ricky’s mother is still fighting but manages to get up to their cabin every weekend!
He says a lot of his supporters are friends of his mother’s whom he has never even met. “It’s a reflection of Mom really, and the respect and admiration that so many people have for her. She has proven to me that she is the bravest person I have ever known. So proud she’s mine.”
Rick Greenwood Sr. is upping his Shave involvement this year and has signed up to be a Head Hunter at Toyota Plaza.
“I thought that was kind of funny. He’s...actually pulling in some cash. Even though he usually carries a shaved haircut most times, it’ll be good for him to shave it all off and get rid of some of the grey!” he teased. "There has always been a little competitive streak between us both, but I’m just happy he’s jumped on board. [The money raised] all goes to the same place, but I think I got him beat.”
(Rick, we’ll happily publish a [family friendly] reply!)
Ricky’s fundraising page is still open for 2011 but he has already committed for 2012.
“I love being a part of this and contributing as much as I can. I sometimes think about all the hardship I’ve seen my mom go through with her battle...[people with cancer] need as much help and support as we all can give. The Shave for the Brave has turned into a great successful fundraiser, and I’m so proud to have helped again this year.”
*Ricky's total is now up to $6,055 $6,240 $6,440!
