The Tampa Bay Rays have partnered together again this year with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation, for the Annual Cut for a Cure Charity Challenge. The event was held on March 15, at the team’s spring training facility before they took the field against the Philadelphia Phillies. After raising $8,000 for the foundation last year, the Rays have set the bar higher this year and are hoping to raise a total of $20,000. Individual donations of $100 or more arranges for tickets to the game, a head shaving with over 65 members of the Rays organization (including multiple players) and an event T-shirt that states “Fortune Favors the Bald”.

  The Pediatric Cancer Foundation has held this event for the past four years in multiple communities nationwide. For the past four years, the Rays have hosted the event in an attempt help raise money and awareness for pediatric cancer. In the past four years, the players have been involved in the event, starting with ex-Rays pitcher Wade Davis as the sole player to have his head shaved in its inaugural year. Since then, multiple players from both the Rays and Tampa Bay Lightning have joined the effort and have in past years raised over with Lightning team captain, Vincent Lecavalier’s own foundation raising $250,000 for the cause last year. The $8,000 that the Rays raised by private donors last year was pooled with the Lightning’s donations to surpass last year’s collective goal of $25,000, by over $2,500. The cumulative total raised throughout the nation came to a total of $350,000, a record breaking total for the foundation.

  This isn’t Lecavalier’s only contribution to pediatric health services. In 2007, he committed $3-million for the construction of the All Children’s Hospital. Since then Lecavalier has helped cultivate a relationship between all the major sports teams in the Tampa Bay area in hope of starting a large community outreach program for the children of the area. Lecavalier has helped bring the needs of the community to the attention of the major sports teams.

  For the past three years, the Rays have relied on Studio Uno salon of Spring Hill, Florida to handle the responsibilities of shaving the heads of players and donors. The owner of Studio Uno, Wilber Bonilla, said that he shaved the heads of multiple players and coaches, including David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Desmond Jennings, and Dave Martinez. Luke Scott even had his signature mutton chops shaved off in support of the foundation.

  In the upcoming weeks, both the Tampa Bay Lightning and the ex-Buccaneer Mike Alstott will be holding events of their own to help raise funds for the foundation. Donations can be made to the Vincent Lecavalier Foundation at www.vinny4.org, or the Pediatric Cancer Foundation at www.fastercure.org at any point throughout the year.