More than 120 Augustana College students shaved their heads Thursday night to raise money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a national group that has become a leading funder of childhood cancer research.
Among the participants were 14 women, including childhood cancer survivor Emily Kitterman. Eleven years in remission, Kitterman was ready to get buzzed for others.
"I'm a senior now. I'm gonna be graduating in May, so it's kinda like, to come so far…It's not so much something that has such a bearing on my life," said Kitterman.
Thursday night marked Kitterman's third time getting shaved for the cancer charity. This time, though, her actions inspired her roommate, Clare Kilbride, to join her.
"I'm actually a little more calm than I expected. I've been more calm really than I ever expected for the past week or so," said Kilbride.
The ladies were joined by more than 120 others, including entire fraternities, cancer survivors, and even a pair of 9-year-old girls.
"My head is cold. But I'm really proud that I actually did it," said Mady Earles.
The event raised more than $30,000 for St. Baldrick's. In only it's second year at Augustana, the event nearly tripled last year's donations.
"To be able to take a deep breath and be like, 'We were successful, and we raised over $30,000 for cancer research'… that's something that I never thought, never would have dreamed of in my wildest dreams," said organizer Tyrrell Jeffries.
And as roommates Kitterman and Kilbride took the stage to get shaved together, they got some of the biggest cheers of the night.
"She's just awesome, and she looks great bald, even though she hasn't seen herself yet, so this is just amazing, and I'm so happy. I'm on cloud nine right now," said Kitterman.