This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
09/27/2017 09:00 AMAs a cancer survivor who went to Camp Rising Sun thanks to others’ generosity, Luciano “Luke” Duffy now wants to raise money to extend that benefit to others. In partnership with the Interact Club at Old Saybrook High School (OSHS), the Lose Your Locks with Luke
event to raise money for the camp is set for the afternoon of Saturday, Oct. 21 at OSHS.
By sponsoring volunteers who agree to have their heads shaved for the cause or by buying a $10 admission ticket to watch the barbers work, area residents can help him raise money to support Camp Rising Sun. It’s a cause he has reason to embrace.
“I was first diagnosed with cancer when I was 18 months old and I heard so many stories about people in the community raising money for me,” Duffy said.
Now as a high school junior and a cancer survivor in remission, he wants to give back to the community by making sure that other kids with cancer get the same supportive experience at Camp Rising Sun that he got.
“After nine years of going to this camp, I’ve decided that it was my turn to give back. The reason I am doing a head shaving fundraiser is because when we are going through cancer treatment and taking chemotherapy, often we lose our hair. By shaving your head I hope to raise awareness for childhood cancer and funds for Camp Rising Sun,” said Duffy. “So many people have been affected by childhood cancer, and this is a great way to honor them.”
The afternoon hair shave and cut event begins at 1:30 p.m. with brief remarks by Duffy and others about the value of Camp Rising Sun. At 2 p.m., the barbers arrive to begin their work.
By last week, 10 volunteers had stepped forward to agree to the head shave or haircut of at least eight inches. One of them is OSHS Assistant Principal Joseph Anastasio, who also will sit in the dunk tank chair that day. Each volunteer facing a barber that day has agreed to raise $100 to donate to Camp Rising Sun.
“It’s a special bond that those of at the camp shared. The other campers provided me with so mush support, and many of the counselors are former campers and cancer survivors,” Duffy said.
Donations can be made directly to Camp Rising Sun through the Lose Your Locks with Luke
event’s crowdrise webpage www.crowdrise.com/o/en/team/lose-your-locks-with-luke/lucianoduffy. Any volunteer can arrive on the day of the event with $100 in donations and join in the fun.
To volunteer to be shaved or to have your hair cut short or perhaps just want to learn more about the fundraising event, contact Duffy at lucianoduffy35@gmail.com.
Camp Rising Sun is 100 percent donation-driven according to the charity’s webpage (www.camprisingsun.com). The camp is held one week each year in the hills of Colebrook, Connecticut at the facilities of YMCA’s Camp Jewell. Kids aged 5 to 17 who have faced a diagnosis of cancer can attend at no cost thanks to fundraising activities like this one. Campers stay in heated cabins with other young people in their age group.
Parallel Fundraisers
Two other fundraising activities spearheaded by Duffy and his team are being paired with the main event to benefit the Lose Your Locks for Luke
event and Camp Rising Sun.
Just by buying tickets to attend a Hartford Wolf Pack hockey team game on Friday, Oct. 13, supporters can raise money for Camp Rising Sun. Five dollars of each $15 ticket sold for the Oct. 13 game between the Hartford Wolf Pack and the Toronto Marlies will be donated to Camp Rising Sun. Game tickets can be purchased through Old Saybrook High School Interact Club members or by calling Duffy and his family at 860-575-5496.
Supporters can also help raise money by eating breakfast on Saturday, Oct. 21 at the Parthenon Diner and Restaurant at 809 Boston Post Road in Old Saybrook. The owners have agreed to donate a percentage of the breakfast sales made between 8 and 11 a.m. on Oct. 21 to Lose Your Locks with Luke. At this Buzz Off Childhood Cancer Breakfast
, buying a chance at a door prize could also yield a lucky winner a Joe Flaco-signed poster or an authentic NFL football donated by JLSports.