Nicholas Giunta of Somers Point has the St. Baldrick’s logo painted on the back of his head for the 2010 event at Stumpo’s Italian Grill in Somers Point.

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP – Organizers of a local St. Baldrick’s fundraiser are looking for participants to get a spring haircut to support childhood cancer.

The 10th annual St. Baldrick’s head shaving will be held noon-4 p.m. Sunday, March 11 at the Mays Landing Country Club.

Lisa Erlandson of Egg Harbor Township has been organizing the annual event since 2003. In that time she has helped raise $522,475 while overseeing the shaving of 1,478 heads.

Her first fundraiser for childhood cancer was a dinner event in her home in 2002.

“It’s awesome for me because it’s my way of giving back since my son received treatment that provided him life,” Erlandson said Monday, Feb. 13. “I feel so compelled to keep doing this – he’s still here, he’s my reason for doing St. Baldrick’s.”

Erlandson’s son Matthew is 15 years old and remains cancer free.

It was 10 years ago that Erlandson received a postcard from the National Childhood Cancer Foundation asking people to hold fundraisers in their homes.

“After I did that, I received a postcard announcing this event, St. Baldrick’s. I thought it was very interesting, and there were none in our area,” she said. “From a postcard I received, I just went with it: If I could just get 10 guys to shave their heads and I could get them to raise $100 each, I could send $1,000 to the foundation.”

Erlandson said she handed out pamphlets and held the first event in March 2003 at Bubba Mac’s Shack in Somers Point, raising $45,136 with 136 people shaving their heads.

“It caught on like wildfire,” she said.

Erlandson hosted the event at Bubba Mac’s for three years, at Stumpo’s/Hibiscus in Somers Point for five years, and last year at Mangia by the Green in Egg Harbor Township.

In time St. Baldrick’s caught on, and after three years hers wasn’t the only game in town. “My particular event has gotten smaller, but there’s been more events happening in past years,” Erlandson said.

According to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation website, there are six local events this year registered online – two in Atlantic City, two in Galloway and one in Ventnor, along with the Mays Landing shaving.

“It’s a good thing because you have more events; you actually have more people that are attending, more money going into the pot. All the money goes to the same place,” Erlandson said.

Funds donated to the St. Baldrick’s Foundation are used for childhood cancer research.

Erlandson said she is inviting back all those people who had their heads shaved to join her for the 10th annual event.

“I would love to have some of the original people come on out for the fun of it, even if they don’t shave,” said Erlandson. “Some of the males who were shaved in the past liked the baldness and stayed bald. Over the years I’ve seen them and still bald.”

She said Christopher Baumgartel, 17, of Egg Harbor Township was pivotal in organizing last year's event and is on board this year, too.

Erlandson, a substitute teacher in the Egg Harbor Township school district, said one of the benchmarks her efforts have set was a total amount raised of $127,088 in 2008.

“That year we had the support of all the Wawas in New Jersey. They had their box by the register for the month of March, and all the coins collected went to St. Baldrick’s,” said Erlandson. “Our best year for the largest number of people who shaved was in 2006, when 282 people shaved their heads.”

She has no intentions of slowing down after the 10th anniversary.

“I was totally blown away that first year. I was only going to do it that one time,” Elerandson said.

“After so many people were involved and it was such a cool and really different experience for everyone, I don’t know how many people said to me, ‘You can’t just do it this year.’ Then the following year I had so many people tell me, “You have to do it again,’” she continued.

“I don’t have any plans on stopping.”

To donate or register for a head shaving at the Mays Landing event see www.stbaldricks.org/events/mypage/82/2012. As of press time there were 19 participants registered and $2,185 pledged.

For information call Erlandson at (609) 927-6804.

Lisa Erlandson of Egg Harbor Township spreads some magic at the 2009 St. Baldrick’s event in Somers Point.