Dozens, including Hull, go bald for childhood cancer reasearch

RIO RANCHO — Mayor Gregg Hull came out of the Rio Rancho Events Center with a new look Sunday afternoon — he had gone bald in support of childhood cancer research.

Hull was one of the participants in the annual head-shaving event hosted by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which is the largest charity funder of children’s cancer research grants. Sunday marked the 16th year of the event, during which the New Mexico Firefighters & Friends event has raised nearly $615,000 since 20210.

“They do this in honor of the children who lose their hair to cancer,” said St. Baldrick’s volunteer Sherri Perez, noting that childhood cancer is the lowest-funded cancer in the country. “It’s become this connected community.”

She said participants secure donations for having their head shaved, which then goes to the organization. At the 11 a.m. start of the 2025 event, she said almost $30,000 had been raised with 25 pre-registered participants.

That amount grew throughout the day. Additional participants signed up for the head shave, and others offered to have beards and eyebrows shaved for additional donations from the crowd.

That includes Roger Tannen, the volunteer event organizer, who lost an eyebrow for additional donations. Sunday was 19th year he has shaved his head for St. Baldrick’s.

His passion for raising money for the organization stems from personal experiences with cancer, including his nephew’s journey with leukemia, family battles with cancer, and the loss of a close friend. This year, Tannen dedicated his head shave to 4-year-old, Adrian, who is currently in remission after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2022.

Hull then threw down the gauntlet. While he has been attending the event for many years, he has never gone bald. Until Sunday, that is, when he offered to lose his hair if the community donated $10,000.

“I know a lot of you want to see the mayor shave his head, and I’m not going to disappoint,” Hull said toward the end of the event, when about half of his challenge had been met. “If kids can be brave enough to fight cancer, I can be brave enough to lose my hair for a little bit.”

The day also featured performances from the Brightburn Academy of Irish Dance, the combined efforts of the New Mexico Fire and Police Pipes and Drums and Santa Fe Firefighters Pipes and Drums, bounce houses, the Rio Rancho Fire and Rescue smoke house, and displays from Bernalillo County Fire and Rescue and New Mexico State Police. Superheroes and members of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (fitting in nicely with the green theme) also roamed the events center.

Perez also noted the community aspect of the event. The barbers volunteered their time, Cleveland High School JROTC presented the colors for the national anthem, which was sung by students from Rio Rancho High School, the Cleveland baseball team set up for the event, and local businesses donated items for raffles and auction items, which raised additional money for St. Baldrick’s.

She also said the vendors were donating a portion of their proceeds to the organization, and the car show that ran concurrently with the event was also raising additional funds for St. Baldrick’s.

“It is so important that we make sure that every child has a childhood where they can laugh, dance and smile,” Hull said. “That’s not just want we want to see for Rio Rancho children, but for children all over the world.”