BY HEIDI ULRICHSEN
Ryan Harris? friends, family and co-workers are willing to pay a lot to see him lose his long, blond mane of hair.
 |
Cory McPhee, Inco's media relations officer, will have his head shaved to raise money for prostate cancer research |
So far, the 25-year-old Inco transportation operator has collected almost $800 in pledges to have his head shaved during the Inco Shines fundraiser, which is raising money for the Canadian Cancer Society to invest in prostate cancer research.
Seventy-five other Inco employees are also having their ?domes chromed? Saturday at 11 am in the centre court of the New Sudbury Shopping Centre. The workers are hoping to raise $50,000 for the cause.
?Originally when I had gone up to transportation and spoke with the dispatch office, and I said, ?we need to get some pledges going and somebody to shave their head,? everybody pointed their fingers at Ryan,? said Harris? co-worker, Inco protection services officer Matthew Johnson.
?I think that our older workforce are jealous of his head of hair, and is anxious to see it go,? added McPhee.
Both Johnson and McPhee are also having their heads shaved during the event.
But Harris said he is not concerned about losing his locks for charity. He?s shaved his head several times in the past, and besides, now his shampoo expenses will go way down.
?I buy the $40 stuff from the salon. I work with a bunch of balding men who wear hard hats all day. I?enjoy my hair and spend some money on it,? said Harris, adding he has a toque ready to keep his head warm when his hair is finally gone.
?I?m doing it because cancer affects everybody. My fellow employees are more than willing to contribute. I was happily shocked.?
Inco has donated $15,000 towards the Inco Shines donation target, and Sears Hair Care stylists are providing the actual shaving services, said McPhee. Shoppers who drop by the event are welcome to donate to the cause.
?I think I really have the easy job of getting my hair cut. It?s going to grow back,? said McPhee.
?It?s the people who are actually suffering from prostate cancer who are putting up with the really tough fight.
?We chose prostate cancer because it is a cancer that is still not talked about to any great degree, but it?s the number one cancer among men?and we still are a male-dominated workforce. We all have colleagues and friends who are afflicted.?
McPhee is impressed with how the Inco workforce has pulled together to raise money for this cause. He himself has already collected over $2,000 in pledges after approaching businesses, community members, family and friends.
?For someone middle-aged like me, I see this as a bit of a look into my future. My father is bald on top, and I probably have the same fate awaiting me at some point in the future. But it?s all in good fun,? he said.
Johnson said he enjoys getting involved in fundraising efforts, so when one of his friends approached him about Inco Shines, he jumped at the chance to help. As of Wednesday, the protection services officer had already raised about $800.
?My hair?s so short it will grow back quickly, but I?ve never been buzzed before. This year was actually the first time I took off my goatee. I?d had that since I was 15,? he said.
The cancer society will invest the Inco Shines money into the most promising prostate cancer research they can find, promised Cathy Burns, unit manager of the Sudbury & District Unit of the Canadian Cancer Society.
?I think this is absolutely wonderful and incredible. I take my hat off to them,? said Burns. ?It?s a fun event, but it also shows support for people going through cancer who have to lose their hair? it?s raising a lot of awareness about prostate cancer.?
