It wasn’t his first time under the razor, but it was his first time doing it in Hope: Kerry Burgher shaved off both the hair on his head and his beard this past weekend to raise money for the B.C. Cancer Society in an event he called Balding for Dollars.
“I used to do it every year when I worked at UBC Parking,” Burgher explained during an interview from inside the home he shares with his sister, Pamela Connor, in Silver Creek.
The siblings, having moved to the area almost seven years ago, joke they “survived Surrey and found Hope” when they moved here for their golden years. And now that they’re here, it’s all about being community minded and focused.
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“You should do good things just because,” Burgher continued. “It’s important to give back and leave (your home) better than you found it.”
It’s that line of thinking that’s lead the 74-year-old to donate blood 135 times so far during his life. “It’s simple, it’s in you to give,” he said nonchalantly, nodding a head full of bright pink hair.
So while Burgher says “a few family members have passed away” from cancer, the disease “hasn’t really hit close.” But that doesn’t mean he can’t do whatever’s possible to help those who are affected by the disease.
A couple of days before his “sheering,” Burgher’s sister coloured her brother’s silver hair with a neon pink, washable hair dye. The day afterwards, Burgher completed the look by doing the same to his beard, which definitely garnered some stares and multiple-glances. It also provided Burgher with the perfect opportunity to spread word about Balding for Dollars, which took place at the Silver Chalice.
But knowing his hair, regardless of colour, wouldn’t necessarily be an attention-getter for everyone, Burgher paired Balding for Dollars with a silent auction—featuring hand-crafted wood crafting items, furniture, homemade quilts, and items donated by community partners—to accompany the evening’s festivities. And the Silver Chalice offered a ‘Burgher & Beer’ special for $20, and donated $10 from the sale of each meal towards the fundraiser.
That said, Burgher still joked the event was “a good way to get a free haircut!” And it seems as though it was also a good way to raise money for the B.C. Cancer Society, with online donations to Burgher’s cause totalling more than $600.
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