When Christian Pierce, band director, learned a colleague was diagnosed with breast cancer just a few months after her husband passed, he and a few other band teachers decided to ask her what they could do to help.
What they decided was for Pierce and the other band teachers to create a fundraiser where certain money goals led to teachers doing different challenges like shaving their head or dying their hair.
“We have a couple students whose parents have breast cancer or battled breast cancer,” Pierce said. “It’s one of those things where you can’t tell who has what.”
However, Pierce said that in the last several years, the fundraiser hasn’t happened.
“In the midst of everything that happens at a high school, it fell off a little bit,” Pierce said. “It’s not something that we talk about a whole bunch here.”
Pierce said this year, they decided to start the fundraiser again. Pierce will dye his hair pink for a week in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month if he reaches $3,000 from donations. As of publication, he had raised $1,984.
All proceeds will go to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, a foundation Pierce said he ensured was giving no money to political organizations or anything else other than breast cancer research.
“It’s not a huge dent, but it hopefully helps,” Pierce said.
Pierce said if the fundraiser surpasses $5,000, he will keep his hair dyed pink throughout November.
In addition, he is planning to have another fundraising event in the future where students can donate $5 to enter a raffle, and whoever wins gets to shave his head.
Jack Feist, senior, donated to Pierce’s fundraiser. Feist plays in marching band, so he’s known Pierce for as long as he’s been in high school and has grown a connection with him through band activities.
“I wanted to help a campaign that goes toward a good cause and does research,” Feist said.
Feist’s mom donated to the campaign under his name to support breast cancer research, as he feels that it’s not talked about enough.
“I think it’s important because it’s one of those things that I feel like doesn’t come up in a lot of conversations, and it’s good to pay more attention to it,” Feist said.
Lauren Steidtmann, senior, has known Pierce since eighth grade. He’s been her band director, marching band coordinator, concert band teacher and afterschool instructor.
“He’s a fantastic teacher and he really cares about his students,” Steidtmann said. “He really knows what he’s doing.”
Steidtmann’s mom donated to Pierce’s fundraiser under Steidtmann’s name, which she said makes sense, because of Steidtmann’s grandmother, who used to have breast cancer.
“At the end of the day, our band prioritizes helping our community, and we love when we get to help people,” Steidtmann said. “If we can help a person, or a family, or research that will help someone in the future, that would be great.”
