Spike Out Cancer got game, hair
BUTLER TWP — Monetary donations are one thing.
Giving the hair off one's head is another.
Plenty of both took place Sunday afternoon at the ninth annual Spike Out Cancer charity volleyball event in the Butler High School gym.
Ten teams — primarily high school age or younger — registered for $100 each to play volleyball for an hour and fight cancer.
“We're teaming up with the Butler Cancer Support Services, which helps people with all types of cancers,” said Butler High School girls volleyball coach Meghan Lucas. “My team is here to fight breast cancer. It's what they wanted to do.
“Over the past couple of years, many members of our team have had mothers or grandmothers getting breast cancer. It's affecting all of our lives in some way.”
The Spike Out Cancer event raised $1,000 to battle the disease last year. By late Sunday afternoon, a substantial amount was raised with a couple of hours still to go.
Spectators donated to the cause as well as the players.
“We've raised more than $1,200 this time,” Lucas said Sunday night.
In addition to giving money, Spike Out Cancer is also providing hair for “hair halos,” which cancer patients can wear under hats after losing their own hair to cancer treatments.
Stacy Meyer, a social worker for the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, in partnership with Butler Health System, supervised the hair cuts given to volunteers. Local Motion Hair Design of Butler and Creative Hair Solutions volunteered time to administer the trims.
“We're calling it 'Cuts For A Cure,'” Lucas said.
Females received cuts, as did a few males who had hair that was long enough. Otherwise, they received “buzzes.”
Chairs were set up in the lobby of the gym for the trimming of more than 50 people's hair.
“The donated hair will be taken to Creative Hair Solutions in Allison Park,” Meyer said. “From there, it's shipped to Indonesia, where the hair halos are made.”
It takes the hair of two or three people to make one halo. The finished products are returned here within three months and are given to cancer patients at no charge.
Marina Gracik, a 2010 Butler graduate and former Golden Tornado volleyball player, had 10 inches taken off her hair.
“I did this once before, in college in 2012,” Gracik said. “My hair grows really fast, and it's always long. Why wouldn't I donate something that is going to grow back?
“This is a great cause and I'm happy to be a part of it,” said Gracik.
The Jeff Potter Tour, a group of baseball players from Maryland and Virginia spending the summer traveling through six states for charitable work, donated hair and played volleyball at the event.
“The Potter Tour has 20 players and three of our boys had hair long enough to give a few inches,” director Jeff Potter said.
“This is such a unique event. It's incredible what's going on here,” he said.
