Krysta Voskowsky could barely make it through the crowds at The Lansdowne Pub Monday night before someone stopped her for either a hug or an outpouring of compliments.
“That was amazing,” one passerby said.
“You look beautiful,” another doted.
Voskowsky, 28, started the night with 17 inches of hair running down her back. She then had her head shaved for hack/reduce’s fundraiser benefitting the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a nonprofit that raises money for childhood cancer research.
Voskowsky was among more than 500 other people who gathered at the Fenway bar to show their support through donating to the cause or shaving their heads. Out of the mostly young professionals in attendance Monday night, 90 — two of whom were women — shaved their heads.
After exclaiming “Oh my god” several times, Voskowsky said that fundraisers like hack/reduce’s could have an enormous impact on the community.
“It’s for a fantastic cause,” she said with a wide smile about the $25,727 she raised for the foundation. “It’s something that I never imagined would be possible, and it feels so good to raise so much money. And [to] shave all my hair off.”
Despite creeping nerves a few seconds before the razor buzzed and thinking about the bobby pins she recently purchased, Voskowsky said she felt liberated, fuzzy and “just really happy.”
Hack/reduce is in its fourth year of partnering with St. Baldrick’s Foundation. Last year, the nonprofit tech business raised more than $250,000, all of which was donated to the foundation. Monday’s fundraiser culminated in more than $380,000 fundraised, which both surpassed 2014’s number and broke this year’s goal of $350,000.
“I believe in this cause,” said organizer Chris Lynch as he passionately spoke to the hushed crowd. “I believe in the fight.”
Reflecting on the event in an email, Lynch said he was proud of the work done for this year’s fundraiser.
“It was inspiring to see so many participate and celebrate giving to others,” he said in the email.
Lynch’s fight was clear — provide more opportunity for research on childhood cancer. Less than 4 percent of funding goes to childhood cancer research, he said, so Monday night, Lynch did what he could to change that.
“One hundred percent of everything raised tonight goes to pediatric research for cancer,” he said to the crowd.
Jonathan Kim, 27, applauded the head-shaving, money-raising affair not just for its efforts to fund childhood cancer research, but also for its dedication to going one step further.
“I think shaving your head is a lasting commitment to say, ‘This is something I support,’” he said. “Giving money is something that can be done passively and anonymously, whereas this is something that everybody will recognize.”
Kim and other members of Appcues, the tech company he works for, began fundraising in December. He and his team were introduced to the idea by Accomplice, a video production service that Kim said is adamant about giving back and getting others interested as well.
“[Accomplice] made it real easy” to donate time and money, he said. “They’ll hound us. They’ll give us opportunities to get more involved.”
Of the money raised this year, Appcues raised $6,801, according to the fundraiser’s website.
Over the loud music, Neil Brown, 25, of the tech company Datto, reminisced about the first time he shaved his head for charity at Quinnipiac University, where he attended college. Starting his sophomore year through his senior year, Brown gave his locks to show support.
Now, shaving his head for first time since college, Brown said he didn’t think twice about participating. After all, he said, raising money for cancer research is about more than just today’s appearance.
“This isn’t only for today,” Brown said. “It’s for tomorrow. It’s going to spread the word.”
