Correspondent photo / John Patrick Gatta Bob Garrett of Campbell, right, gets a face full of whipped cream from Lindsey Garrett of Campbell while onlookers enjoy the Gervelis Pie in the Eye activity during Shave Youngstown, a St. Baldrick’s event, Saturday at Penguin City Brewing. Those who wanted to help the cause but not get a haircut or shave could get a pie in the eye.

YOUNGSTOWN — It wasn’t your typical pre-St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Yes, the laughs were in abundance, revelers wore green-themed clothes, beaded necklaces, plus dyed hair and beards while Irish Red Ale beer flowed from the Penguin City Brewing taps, but the festive atmosphere Saturday didn’t mask the focus of Shave Youngstown, a St. Baldrick’s event — to raise money for children’s cancer research and families dealing with the disease.

“The kids are tired from the illness inside them, but we can’t be too tired to not help,” said Burton “Skeeter” Baird of Lowellville, one of the event’s organizers who also raised funds to have his hair and beard removed. “We are the adults, the moms, the dads, the uncles and aunts, the brothers, the sisters, the grandparents and friends. They need us. We can never be too tired for them.”

Barber manager, Aly “Katt” Nickell of North Jackson, directed the shaving of men and women — hair, beards or just a trim.

The Gervelis Pie in the Face activity raised more funds as participants paid for themselves or others to get a plate of whip cream shoved in their faces. Among those who did this was Y-103 on-air personality Fast Freddie.

The family-friendly event allowed children to exhaust themselves in the pop-up playground, which featured a Ninja Nation course, inflatable slide and games from Jumpin’ Jeremiah’s, activities, a root beer float bar and a concert by KPop Demon Hunters portrayed by members of Heroes & Tiaras Character Entertainment.

While grade school and high school students from the Lowellville school district helped raise more than $17,000 in its Shave-A-Thon Thursday, first-time participant Hunter Conrad of Boardman elected to get his shoulder-length locks cut at Saturday’s event and raised more than $3,000.

He explained his reasoning for going bald for charity.

“Over the summer. I met Burt Baird, and he told me about the event and the story behind it. Then, he looked at me and said, ‘You know, people really like it when guys with long hair get their head shaved for it.’ I thought it was a great cause, and it was something that hits close to home for a lot of people. So, I figured, you know what, hair grows back. Let me go ahead and do this.”

Team River Rats, which includes Baird, once again, became the top group by raising nearly $21,000, while Lowellville school district bus driver Cindi Clemens raised more than $12,000, which was the most by an individual.

Overall, this year’s Shave Youngstown raised more than $92,000, more than $30,000 more than last year’s total.

The number was especially pleasing to Jason Cottrill, founder/president of the nonprofit Ashlin’s Alliance and director of Shave Youngstown, His niece, Ashlin, died at 13 months from leukemia. He set a goal of raising $91,700 to honor her birthday of Sept. 17.

“I have started saying, ‘Medicine treats cancer, we treat families,'” Cottrill said. “While the St. Baldrick’s Foundation funds vital research to treat cancer around the world, Ashlin’s Alliance focuses on the families. When a family receives this news, they focus their energy on the kids. Someone has to be there for the families and I want to fill that void.”

Since its creation, Ashlin’s Alliance has directly impacted local families with kids battling cancer by giving gas gift cards to help with travel expenses, purchasing toys at Christmas and taking some football fans to a Youngstown State University game.

“It provides the chance to get their minds off what they are going through, even just for a few minutes. It makes a difference,” Cottrill said.

Baird admitted that fundraising feeds his competitive side, but after losing a nephew to brain cancer and then meeting Aubriella Augustine, 4, of Austintown, who was dealing with bilateral retinoblastoma (eye) stage D cancer, two years ago vastly changed his priorities.

“She won my heart, seeing this small child fighting for her life. I decided right there and then, it was my mission to help the kids,” he said.

Augustine’s cancer has been in remission since September 2024.

Baird carried her on his shoulders before he had his hair and orange and green-dyed beard shaved. She combed his hair as Brayden Greathouse, 17, of North Jackson started the cutting process. Greathouse is going through cancer treatment.

Other cancer survivors who participated in the shaving event included Joey Gaskell, 8, of Youngstown, and Andrew Codener, 10, of Poland.

Aubriella’s dad, Eric, commented on the event and the work that’s done after the clippers are put away.

“It’s great what they do. It’s all about the kids. They were a huge support and helped us when we went through our situation,” he said.

Ashlin’s Alliance hosts another event, along with Team Brayden — a bar crawl at 1 p.m. March 28 in Newton Falls. It starts at the 534 Bar, 115 S. Milton Blvd. and includes five other stops. For more information, call 330-277-3898 or 330-368-6457.