Arriving two hours late to the event he had signed up for two months earlier, junior Kevin Medansky walked into Higgins’ Tavern with his mother. Only 13 years old at the time, he walked up to the bartender, passing a group of middle aged men drinking at the bar. Then he asked, “Can I shave my head here?”

Medansky said the bartender looked to one of the waitresses and shouted, “We have our last one for the night.”

“Within minutes, my hair was coming off in patches as the people at the bar would hand me 20-dollar bill after 20-dollar bill, all excited that some kid was shaving his head for cancer awareness,” Medansky said.

All of the money Medansky was given went toward his fundraising efforts.

This was Medansky’s first time shaving his head for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a private organization that raises money to fund research and fight against childhood cancer. St. Baldrick’s hosts events where people can shave their heads to raise money. That year, Medansky raised over $600 for St. Baldrick’s, a large part of it coming from his venture to Higgins’ Tavern.

Medansky has shaved his head six times, the most recent being in April. Senior Ellie Sternberg said that he also inspired her to raise money for St. Baldrick’s.

According to Sternberg, Medansky surprised her by walking into Spanish class with a shaved head during her junior year.

Sternberg said that as soon as Medansky introduced her to St. Baldrick’s, she wanted to participate. A year later, Sternberg was at Rush Children’s Hospital waiting to get her own head shaved.

Sternberg said that during the couple of days leading up to the event she was afraid of what her appearance would be and whether she would have any “weird bumps” on her head, but her fears soon went away after arriving at the hospital.

Sternberg described her newfound hairlessness as a “freeing experience.” So far this year she has raised $925 for the charity by sending out Facebook messages and emailing her close family members. Sternberg said she has received countless messages from her peers who were inspired by her actions.

“In theory cancer won’t be an issue in 60 years,” said Medansky. “It’ll just be another vaccine. So, for everyone who donates, they’re pretty much helping everyone, which is a difficult concept to understand at first, but nevertheless a powerful one.”