SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) – Syracuse’s Kitty Hoynes pub will host its final St. Baldrick’s Foundation head-shaving event next month, closing a 20-year chapter in the fight against childhood cancer.
Since the event’s inception, Kitty Hoyne’s has raised about $6.7 million for childhood cancer research and shaved nearly 7,500 heads to support those fighting the disease. The event has become a local tradition, with Syracuse topping the worldwide fundraising charts and inspiring similar efforts across Central New York.
A group participating in the head-shaving event in a past year. Photo courtesy of Sophia Meskos
“In our biggest years, we have raised over half a million dollars and shaved over 500 heads,” said Sophia Meskos, the Kitty Hoyne’s St. Baldrick’s event organizer.
Money is raised via the event’s website and collected all day during the event.
Organizers are asking past participants, donors, and volunteers to come together one last time on March 30 to celebrate their impact.
The event has connected countless families and their children, rallying a dedicated community committed to raising funds for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and its mission to end childhood cancer. From 2016 to 2019, Kitty Hoynes upheld its commitment, raising over half a million dollars each year for four consecutive years.
“And although it’s our last one at Kitty Hoyne’s, there’s still opportunities to supportSt. Baldrick’s throughout our region and nationally,” Meskos said.
The final event will feature returning participants and longtime volunteer barbers who have helped make the head-shaving tradition successful.
“We’ve seen kids come in at five years old and shave their heads until they graduate high school,” Meskos said. “We’ve really made it into our community and a part of our life every year doing this.”
The last head-shaving event will take place on Sunday, March 30, at Kitty Hoyne’s. For those looking to participate, visit the event’s registration page.
Kitty Hoyne’s celebrating one last St. Baldrick’s Shave on March 30Video Transcript JAKE LAZARUS: Every March, a local pub transforms into more than just a place for pints—it becomes a symbol of hope and community. For 20 years, kitty Hoyne’s has been the heart of Syracuse’s fight against childhood cancer, raising $6.7 million and shaving nearly 7,500 heads.
SOPHIA MESKOS: In our biggest years, we raised over half-a-million dollars and shaved over 500 heads.
JAKE LAZARUS: This moment speaks to the heart of the event… Brianna, a childhood cancer survivor, holds her daughter, while her grandmother, Sue, continues her tradition of shaving her head every year at Kitty Hoyne’s. The Kitty Hoyne’s St. Baldrick’s fundraising event has topped worldwide fundraising efforts for years, and inspired venues across Central New York to join the cause. event organizers are calling for everyone who has been involved with the event in years past, to come back for one final time.
SOPHIA MESKOS: Although it’s our last one at Kitty Hoyne’s, there’s still opportunities to support St. Baldrick’s throughout our region and nationally… but just because we are not doing it here doesn’t mean that you can’t keep supporting it and how important it is, because of the support that we generated in this Central New York community, has made a great impact locally to our hospitals and our researchers and and our doctors that treat our kids locally, nationally, and internationally.
JAKE LAZARUS: The final event is scheduled for march 30th, and organizers say they want to reunite with everyone who has shaved, donated, or supported the cause over the past two decades.
SOPHIA MESKOS: You sign up to be a shavee, and then you fund raise. how much is your head worth?
JAKE LAZARUS: This final farewell may mark the end of an era for Kitty Hoyne’s, but the legacy of the st. Baldrick’s foundation will live on. Reporting from downtown Syracuse… Jake Lazarus, NCC News.
