Amid a chorus of gasps, chuckles and cheers, two managers at a Dartmouth company took it all off for a good cause Thursday
All of their hair, that is.
Howie Sparkes and Charlie Hume of PCL Constructors Inc. bravely shaved their heads in support of the United Way of Halifax’s annual holiday campaign. The two men issued a challenge to their fellow employees last month, saying they would both go under the razor if 85 per cent of the staff donated to the campaign.
“We were sitting around trying to figure out how we were going to raise this money,” said a freshly-shorn Hume. “Shaving our heads seemed to be a very good motivator.”
It was. In the end, 95 per cent of the staff chipped in to raise a grand total of $16,450. The company has promised it will match that donation, and Hume and Sparkes were forced to make good on their promise.
“I don’t mind doing it,” Hume chuckled. “It’s for a good cause.”
The United Way campaign kicked off on Sept. 11, and will wrap up in February. The organization hopes to raise a total of $6 million in support of a variety of programs and services throughout HRM.
“We’re quite optimistic,” said United Way CEO Catherine Woodman. “We track our results weekly, and we’re still projecting that we’re on goal.”
Despite the economic downturn, last year’s campaign netted $5.84 million and Woodman said she expects people will be equally generous in 2009.
“We have a community that is particularly strong in times of adversity,” she said.
