Help Beat Childhood Cancer with TeamBrent on Sunday in Fairfield

Join in the fight against pediatric cancer on Sunday, March 3 at the ninth annual TeamBrent St. Baldrick's event at Fairfield Warde High School.

The Southport-based TeamBrent was founded in 2005 to battle childhood cancer alongside then 3-year-old Brent, who had been diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma, according to a release sent by Brent's mother, Dana McCreesh.

Today, 10-year-old Brent is a survivor who can't remember being sick, and TeamBrent has raised over $6 million to fight childhood cancer ($3 million through St. Baldrick's events, and $3 million through the Pan-Mass Challenge).

Participants in a St. Baldrick's event shave their heads in exchange for donations that go toward researching cures for childhood cancers. Later in March, the Team Teddy St. Baldrick's event will be held at Osborn Hill School.

Doors open at 10:30 a.m. for the TeamBrent celebration and opening ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. The event will feature Southport sportscaster Deb Placey, TeamBrent co-founder and St. Baldrick's board member Mike McCreesh, and St. Baldrick's co-founder and former chairman Tim Kenny, who set forth the shaving challenge that has since become annual St. Baldrick events.

The opening ceremonies will also include the induction of eight people into the St. Baldrick's Foundation's group of "Knights," volunteers who have been involved in St. Baldrick's events for at least seven years. TeamBrent has knighted 15 people at past events: Fairfield's Dennis Brown, Mike Donahue, Todd Goodfellow, Roger Haney, Bill Keough, Jane Kronick, Dana and Mike McCreesh, Deb Placey, Matt Wilcox, and several members from out of town -- Becky and Tom Andronowitz, Rich Baron, Scott Parnell, and Pete Reiter.

Registration will begin after the opening ceremonies and staff from Salon V and Salon Vivid will shave heads until 2:30 p.m. Visitors and shavees can enjoy music by DJ E-Train, head painting by Once Upon a Face, and complimentary studio photos by Westport's Heidi Curran Photography and Laurie Wright Photography.

There will also be a bake sale, Skinny Pines brick oven pizza, and Christophe's Crepes.

Health adults ages 18 - 44 can register with a cheek swab for the Be the Match bone marrow registry. Over 100 people have joined the registry through TeamBrent events, according to the release.

Shavees can head over to the Fairfield Woods Branch Library after the TeamBrent celebration and enjoy free admission to the Mini-Golf Extravaganza until 4 p.m.

Those who cannot make it to Sunday's event  -- or who just want to do more -- can help out in other ways:

• Pick up some TeamBrent ravioli at Cinch. A portion of the proceeds goes to TeamBrent. Cinch recently made a donation to the TeamBrent Dana Farber fund. Since then, funds have been directed to St. Baldrick's.
• Attend the Sound Tigers hockey game on Sunday, March 17, at 3 p.m. A portion of each ticket will go to the St. Baldrick's Foundation. Tickets are $19 if reserved ahead of time (call Sarah at 203-345-4823) or $32 at the box office.
• Support another St. Baldrick's Event, like the March 22 Team Teddy celebration at Osborn Hill School. The money goes to the same place for the same cause.