RACINE — Forgoing a traditional barbershop, a bar owner in Racine got his entire head shaved on stage at his pub Sunday afternoon for a good cause.
JJ McAuliffe, owner of McAuliffe's Pub, first started the tradition years ago after growing out his goatee.
"I realized one day how stupid I looked and I'm like I'm going to shave it off," McAuliffe recalled. "Then I thought, you know what would be nice let's shave it off for a charity event."
That's when "Shaving for Shaymus" was born at McAuliffe's Pub — in honor of 11-year-old Shaymus Guinn, the late son of McAuliffe's friend and bandmate.
"He was just an inspiration," McAuliffe said. "He spent most of his childhood fighting."
Over the years, the annual charity event has raised thousands of dollars for the Shaymus Guinn Foundation, a volunteer-run organization that supports families battling pediatric cancer.
Watch: Racine bar owner, customers go bald to support kids fighting cancer
Shaymus' grandmother, Valerie Duffeck, told TMJ4's Tahleel Mohieldin the foundation donates an average of $35,000 each year to help families pay for treatment-related expenses and, in terminal cases, give kids something to look forward to.
"One little boy said to me, 'I don't feel like a cancer kid at the Dells,'" Duffeck recalled. "That's what the foundation is about."
She also said that every dollar raised is motivated by the kindness Shaymus showed others, even as he battled cancer, like pushing his grandmother to buy Christmas presents for all the kids in his hospital unit.
"He really wanted to help," Duffeck said. "It was so important to him."
"The one thing that I have found with all of these kids that we meet is, they're kind," she added. "They're the ones that are sick, yet they're worried 'Is my mom ok? Is my little sister ok?'"
On Sunday, Shaymus' kindness inspired not just McAuliffe to get a shave but several others in attendance, willing to lose more than a few hairs to make a difference.
"I wish we didn't have to do it obviously, but it feels good that the community comes together," McAuliffe said.
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