Five years ago this week, students in Notre Dame's lower and middle schools help out in the fight against childhood cancer. On April 19, 2013, Notre Dame published the following account of that fight. (Photo 2013) Children from Notre Dame’s Marist Academy who participated in the St. Baldrick’s event in April 2013 were, from left, Eli Seitzinger (4th), Nathan Tenfelde (4th), Grant Brisley (4th), Andrew Philippart (4th), Justin Stone (4th), Jacob Bendtsen (4th), Evan Hoke (2nd), Luke Carballo (2nd) and Reese Currie (4th). Adults in the back row, from left, Dan Bendtsen (event organizer), Rob Brisely, Tim Philippart and Sam Hoff. Not shown: Logan Currie (6th), Joe Currie (dad), Connor Beaudoin (6th), Jurgita Bendtsen (mom) and Dan Beaudoin (dad).
For Notre Dame, a number of students (and parents) from the lower and middle divisions demonstrated their focus on Christian and community service and raised more than $20,000 after getting their heads shaved to raise money for cancer research. The participation by Notre Dame students was organized and chaired by lower-division parent Dan Bendtsen. In 2012, a group of students from the lower division also shaved their heads and raised a substantial amount of money for St. Baldrick's.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. St. Baldrick’s coordinates worldwide signature head-shaving events where volunteers get bald to stand in solidarity with kids with cancer and raise money to support life-saving childhood cancer research. Since 2000, more than 230,000 shavees, including 22,000 women, have shaved their heads at more than 6,000 St. Baldrick’s events worldwide. http://www.stbaldricks.org/.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame's upper school enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.