Jason Helmond never shies away from making the cut.
The local man has again grown his hair, along with a pile of donations, throughout the year for his annual Razors of Hope head-shaving fundraiser, which takes place this Saturday.
Helmond, 32, who organizes the event in support of the Terry Fox Foundation, will run the sixth annual event May 25 at Barrie police headquarters on Fairview Road for the first time. There will be guest speakers and local dignitaries.
City firefighters will also be attending with a fire truck again this year.
Helmond and his father also created a banner for the side of the fire truck when it arrives.
There will be a silent auction running during the head shaving, as local businesses have donated gift certificates to help with the cause.
To date, Helmond’s head-shaving fundraiser has collected $8,375 over the past five events.
This year’s amount has passed $1,000 with a goal of $10,000.
An active member of the Down Syndrome Association of Simcoe County and a well-known local Special Olympian, fundraising for cancer research has always been important to Helmond. Both of his grandfathers died from the disease in 2003 and 2017.
“I like doing it because it will help cure cancer,” Helmond said. “Terry did a lot for us, so how about we do something for him and cure this disease? Terry did a lot for the country, so let’s cure this thing once and for all.”
Jason’s father, Ben, says he is extremely proud of his son.
“I give him all the credit in the world, because a year goes by in a flash and his energy level flies when he gets his mind set on something. He’s a great motivator,” Ben said.
“He’s got special needs, but he can connect with people and he’s resourceful, so he knows how to find people and make contacts. He’s a great fundraiser," his father added.
Ben believes due to Jason's innocence and his situation in life, people connect with him easily.
“They don’t see it as someone doing it for personal gain — he’s doing it for everybody's gain.
The Razors of Hope event takes place on Saturday, May 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Barrie police headquarters, located at 110 Fairview Rd.
For more information and to donate to the cause, click here to visit the event's website.
