St. Albert the Great raises $1 million for cancer research

St. Albert the Great Church has raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research by holding annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraisers for the last 15 years. This year, Jocelyn Howell of Sports Clips shaved the head of Hayden Kappesser, who raised money in exchange for having his hair shorn. (Photos Special to The Record)
St. Albert the Great Church has raised more than $1 million for pediatric cancer research by holding annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation fundraisers for the last 15 years. This year, Jocelyn Howell of Sports Clips shaved the head of Hayden Kappesser, who raised money in exchange for having his hair shorn. (Photos Special to The Record)

By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer

St. Albert the Great School has raised a record amount of money for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which funds childhood cancer research. In the last 15 years combined, the parish has raised more than $1 million for the foundation to fund pediatric cancer research.

Students, parents and parishioners gathered at the parish March 4 to raise money by either shaving their heads or, if the hair was long enough, donating it. They collected $70,000 this year.

St. Albert’s connection to St. Baldrick’s in honor of a child lost to cancer.

In 2003, Jamie Deibel, now 28, was a St. Albert School eighth-grader fighting leukemia. Her friend and fellow cancer patient Brittany Ballinger had just died. On the day of the funeral, Deibel saw a flier for St. Baldrick’s.

“I remember thinking, ‘Brittany would have loved this idea.’ My mom ran with it,” Jamie said.

At the time, her mom, Taylor Deibel, was a first-grade assistant teacher at St. Albert and presented the idea of the fundraiser to parish and school leaders.

“When you go to a child’s funeral and see a child in a coffin, you don’t walk away from that without doing something,” Taylor Deibel said.

She has led the school’s St. Baldrick’s fundraiser from the beginning and said she is “so grateful for the St. Albert community.”

“It’s 15 years later and families are jumping in just as enthusiastic as the first groups,” she said, adding this was her final year to lead the effort.

This past January, Jamie Deibel celebrated 13 years of being cancer free. She is now a social worker with Seven Counties and said she plans to continue her work with the foundation.

“I continue to be involved because I’m still pretty active in the childhood cancer community,” she said. “I still see people being diagnosed. I don’t want anybody to have to go through what I and other kids have gone through.”

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3 replies on “St. Albert the Great raises $1 million for cancer research”
  1. says: Mary McCormick

    How long is the notification for Anniversary to be published in the Record on the Bulliton Board. Also when is the next Mass to celebrate milestone anniversaries?

    1. We prefer to get the anniversary information in at least two weeks before it would be published; ten days before would be the shortest amount of time. Generally we publish anniversary announcements as close to the anniversary date as possible.

      I’m checking on the milestone anniversary Mass.

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