Grad-to-be Will Leave With a Tale, but Not Much Hair
Nice story this weekend in the Fredericksburg Fee Lance-Star on fourth-year U.Va. student Phoebe Willis, who graduated from Fredericksburg’s James Monroe High School.
That’s her at right. See the long hair? It’s going away soon. Willis is participating in the annual St. Baldrick’s Day event, in which participants pledge to shave their heads in exchange for donations to benefit cancer research. (It’s been one of this blog’s favorite causes ever since this writer participated a few years back; as an already mostly bald, middle-aged guy, I certainly had nowhere near as much to lose as Phoebe does.)
Willis is not giving up her hair for nothing. She’s set a goal of raising $25,000 before the March 21 event at The Biltmore — yep, two months before posing for all of those graduation photos — and has already taken in more than $7,000 in pledges. (Click here to support Willis or any of the other local participants.)
That lovely long hair is not going to waste, either; she plans to donate it to Locks of Love, another charity that aids folks who have lost their hair prematurely due to chemotherapy or other medical treatments.
This is not Willis’ first brush with charitable and service activities while on Grounds. She’s participated in Alternative Spring Break trips to New Orleans and Honduras, and has served on the Honor Council, Student Council and in the Women’s Leadership Development Program.
All of this while she has been a four-year member of the Cavalier field hockey team. (Here’s her senior profile from virginiasports.com.)
These are the kinds of students who make you proud to be associated with the University — and often leave you feeling quite a bit humble.
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