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Hundreds of Heads to be Shaved to Raise Funds to Fight Cancer for St. Baldrick’s Foundation March 5

For the fifth consecutive year, McMullan’s Irish Pub is raising funds to research and conquer childhood cancer through a gala head-shaving party to benefit The St. Baldrick’s Foundation starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 5, 2011.

McMullan’s Irish Pub at Tropicana and Cameron, Boulder Station and Nine Fine Irishmen at New York-New York Hotel & Casino will host hundreds of Las Vegas Valley residents, who over the past four years have gathered at McMullan’s and helped raise more than $1 million for the campaign to find a cure for the killer of more children than any other childhood disease.

McMullan’s Irish Pub has served as the headquarters for the event for the past four years. Owner Brian McMullan is delighted to welcome Nine Fine Irishmen and Boulder Station to the mix.

“We don’t have a huge formal dinner or silent auction as our fundraiser,” McMullan said. “Rather we are having hundreds of people throughout Southern Nevada show up and sponsor their neighbors, friends and even strangers willing to have their heads shaved to bond with children who have lost their hair to cancer.”

“This year’s event is going to be bigger and better than before. Kicking off at 2 p.m. at McMullan’s and wrapping up around 3 a.m. Sunday morning, we will have scores of celebrities, bands, special performers and regular folks taking part in our efforts,” stated McMullan.

An estimated 300 volunteers are set to have their heads shaved this year. Masters of ceremonies helping facilitate the event’s activities include TV personality and celebrity journalist Robin Leach, TV newsmen Nate Tannenbaum, weathermen Kevin Janison of KSNV and Darren Miller of KLAS, TV news personalities Gerard Ramalho of KSNV and Elizabeth Watts of KVVU among others. Extensive radio remotes will originate on local CBS-owned FM and AM stations and the event will be streamed to computers around the world.

“We are hoping to add to the more than $100 million the Foundation has raised and awarded as grants to physicians and researchers across the globe,” said McMullan.

Special recognition will also go to Dr. Jonathan Bernstein, Las Vegas pediatric oncologist from the Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders, who received three St. Baldrick’s grants. Dr. Bernstein will also be one of the volunteers to have his head shaved.

Based in Monrovia CA, The St. Baldrick’s Foundation was founded less than a decade ago by 17 people who wanted to do more than just sit around on St. Patrick’s Day drinking Irish beer. Suggesting children cancer research as a fundraising recipient, the participants were each tasked with a goal of raising $1,000. After raising more than 10 times that amount, the annual event mushroomed and is now held in pubs, firehouses, restaurants, meeting halls, high school gyms and other venues in 18 countries and 48 U.S. states, where more than 72,000 shaved heads attest to the volunteers’ fundraising efforts all over the world.