Students raise $8,500 for charity

Philip Leisy gets his head shaved during the fundraiser for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation on Saturday, March 31, at the Brody Medical Sciences Building. Photos by Cliff Hollis

Student-led fundraisers netted more than $8,500 for the East Carolina University Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center and the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a cancer charity.

On Saturday afternoon, nine men and one woman shaved their heads to raise more than $7,200 for St. Baldrick’s, an organization that benefits childhood cancer research. Another six women donated 8-inch lengths of hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths to make wigs for cancer patients. Students had set a goal of $5,000.

Sebastian DeMarco, 33, and other runners sprint from the starting line at the 18th annual Hamstring Hustle on Saturday, March 31.

Earlier Saturday, more than 100 runners braved damp conditions to participate in the 18th annual Hamstring Hustle 5K Run/Walk, presented by the Medical Student Council at Brody School of Medicine at ECU.

Chasity Whittington gets her head shaved at the St. Baldrick’s event at ECU.

Second-year ECU medical student Sebastian DeMarco was the top male finisher with a time of 18 minutes, 50 seconds. The top female finisher was first-year medical student Brittany Walsh with a time of 21:17. The race wound through the Lynndale neighborhood in Greenville.

Full results are online at http://ecrr.us.