Bill and Joey’s Excellent Shaving Adventure
By Bill Hogan, Chief Revenue Officer at SecurityScorecard
In 2007, the morning after the first NetApp St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event in New York City, my then 9-year-old son, Liam, burst into tears with a heartfelt plea to stay home from school that day. My wife and I were prepared for just this situation. We both knew that the night before had been magical and inspiring, but the thought of going to school with a freshly shaved head was now more reality than Liam was prepared to accept. Liam was afraid he might be teased at school, and this was casting a heavy burden on this little man.
I sat down with him and we talked about how lucky we both were that is was our choice to shave our heads, and that we did it to stand in solidarity with kids who lose their hair because of cancer treatments. I told my son how proud I was of his commitment to fighting childhood cancers. Liam pulled it together and stood a little taller that day as he walked out the door on his way to school. He and his friends had inspired over 60 kids to show up the local RVC event at Madison Hall to shave their heads.
Eleven years later, friends from those NetApp days are still committed to raising funds for the charity as are friends from my current firm, Fortinet, and other leaders across the tech industry. Our direct efforts have raised more than $7 million and our compounded impact so much more.
How I first Heard About St. Baldrick’s
I first heard about St. Baldrick’s in the fall over 2005 while at dinner with friends and colleagues.
As dinner was winding down, I turned to my friend John LaCava and asked him to give the background for his freshly sheared dome. John filled us in on how four years earlier he and three friends were having a business lunch and started a silly bet about shaving their heads. This silly discussion took a sudden turn when one of the execs threw out the challenge — raise money, shave heads and donate funds to the fight against childhood cancer. In minutes, all exes had accepted the fundraising challenge.
Not only did they stand in solidarity, but they became walking billboards for the fight to find a cure. They raised over $100,000 their first year, surpassed that the next two years, saw people rally around their efforts and inspired St. Baldrick’s head-shaving events all over NYC and in other cities.
How NetApp Got Involved
John LaCava recruited NetApp executive Joey Santamorena and the attention quickly turned to me. I obliged the taunt and stated that shaving my head would be something I would do, but it was going to have to be bigger than just the few of us at the table participating before I would agree. “Bill and Joey’s Excellent Shaving Adventure” was born that night, coming to fruition just a few months after we learned about the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Fellow NetApp execs, Eric Mann, Sr., VP of Americas Sales, and EVP Rob Salmon, both attended the first “Excellent Shaving Adventure” event in NYC. Neither intended to shave, but both left without a hair on their head. Eric raised $25,000 on the spot, and with his wife’s blessing took a chair with the barbers. And Rob, after sharing an emotional story about a friend who was losing the battle with cancer, committed $10,000, grabbed the clippers, and started shaving his own head.
That day, Joey Santamorena and I were the last shavees. After a long and emotional evening, we mugged for a photo — arm-in-arm with Rob and Eric, along with other shavees. We raised over $100,000 that night and knew it was just the beginning of our adventure.
NetApp’s Commitment
NetApp’s commitment to supporting the charitable work of its employees was surely a driving factor behind the early and sustaining success of the St. Baldrick’s events hosted across the world. Their partners and alliances were terrific in their support, and as key employees took their talents to new companies across the industry, they carried their passion to help kids with cancer with them.
I wish I had the space to call out every person who has made a difference through their participation, at any level, with St. Baldrick’s. Current and former NetApp and now Security Scorecard, Fortinet, SAP, BMC, UIPath, Varonis and so many employees, leaders, customers, partners, families and friends — all standing together on behalf of kids battling this terrible disease. Twelve years later we stand at thousands of shavees and volunteers and more than $7 million donated.
Tech Conquers Kids’ Cancers
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation has created a way for the tech industry to come together to take childhood back from cancer. Tech Conquers Kids’ Cancer is a global movement of tech professionals committed to raising funds for lifesaving childhood cancer research for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The power of one to mobilize the actions of many can come together and find not only the cure, but also find ways that improve the quality of lives of the kids once cured.
We have done a lot. We can do more. We need individuals to lead the way.
The work here will not stop until no child has to endure the struggles of this insidious disease.
To get involved or to donate, visit Bill and Joey’s Excellent Shaving Adventure event page.
Learn more about the Tech Conquers Kids’ Cancer movement here.
