It all started with a promise.

A promise between a brother and a sister.

When his sister’s cancer came back, Lake Shore High School Teacher Tony George made a vow. He shaved his head in honor of Cathleen’s battle and would not let his hair grow back until hers did.

Tony George and sister Cathleen
Tony George getting shaved by his sister Cathleen for Bald for Bucks

Tony George and sister Cathleen.

Tony George getting shaved by his sister Cathleen for Bald for Bucks.

When his students realized what he was doing, they wanted to join in to make a difference. They began collecting donations before shaving their heads. And so the Bald for Bucks community was born!

Tony George and 36 students participated that first year in 2002 and raised $3,600.

While Cathleen lost her battle with cancer, she sparked a movement — and her spirit continues to live on through each person who participates.

That’s the beautiful thing about Bald for Bucks — what started as one, simple act of compassion and love turned into something so much bigger. 

Together, we have raised more than $6 million dollars for research that could change the future of cancer!

And we don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.

Bald for Bucks logo

The Difference We’ve Made Together

Everyone who goes Bald for Bucks is working together to reach a common goal: ending cancer.

The funds raised from the Buffalo Bald for Bucks program go directly to the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that manages all donations benefitting cancer research and patient care at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The funds raised from the Rochester Bald for Bucks program go to supporting programming at 13thirty Cancer Connect and cancer research at Roswell Park. In the 2022-2023 school year, the Rochester Bald for Bucks program raised nearly $19,000.

Learn about the impact you can make through Bald for Bucks.

3 children smiling in a gymnasium, middle child with shaved head
3 children holding Bald for Bucks signs up