Sacramentans are gearing up to go hairless next week as this year’s St. Baldrick’s Day events aim to add to the $4 million raised locally in the past decade to fund research for childhood cancer. “The event itself is something to be witnessed,” said Henry de Vere White, co-owner of de Vere’s Irish Pub, located at 1521 L St. “We’ve had women do it because their kid has cancer, we’ve had siblings do it and we’ve had Little League teams show up and shave their heads in honor of their teammates who had cancer.” De Vere White said Friday that shaving heads began in pubs on the east coast when some lawyers decided to try to raise $17,000 on March 17. Since then, it has snowballed to the point

Roller derby is a sport that has recently gained attention through films and television and its popularity is growing, as Sacramento is the home to two roller derby leagues – the Sac City Rollers and the Sacred City Derby Girls. The Sacramento Press met with some of the derby girls at a recent practice. The Sac City Rollers, which formed in 2006, are preparing for the first bout of the season this Friday. Roller derby is defined by one derby girl – “H.N. Icy” – as football on skates, but without a ball. She’s known as Jennifer Madrigal outside of derby, and is a lab technician. While some derby girls are in law enforcement or construction, the Sac City Rollers have teachers and a librar

Written in memory of our brave daughter, Katie Janae Cramer, who went to Heaven January 6, 2011.   TO THE HOUSE OF THE KING Continued from A Journey of Hope- Part 1 It was January 2007, and our family would spend the next three years, three months climbing out of the valley of childhood cancer. We emerged - battle-fatigued and scarred - but we had emerged! And no one enjoyed being out of that valley more than our daughter. Katie seemed to have a renewed vigor for life. The battle hadn’t dampened her spirit - it energized it! She was ready to put her ordeal behind her and get on with life. She enjoyed her friends, being involved at church, and continued to excel in school. In February

Written in memory of our brave daughter, Katie Janae Cramer, who went to Heaven January 6, 2011. FROM THE DOORS OF AN ORPHANAGE: As the butterfly alights on my arm in the dingy industrial city of Liuzhou, China, our hopes for our newly adopted daughter are high. Life in a Chinese orphanage has been perilous for her, her tiny body telling a story of deprivation through her bloated tummy, pale skin, weak muscle tone, and dry, sparse hair. But a butterfly will soon to emerge. My husband and I return to Sacramento in May 1995, exhausted but elated at being home with our daughter. What was once only a tiny black-and-white picture is now an in-the-flesh baby dressed most often in pink. Alrea

Hundreds of people will gather to shave their hair off on Monday, March 14, for the St. Baldrick’s Day event at de Vere’s Irish Pub. The event raises awareness of childhood cancer and raises money for research. Robyn Raphael, 46, the CEO of Keaton Raphael Memorial and the mother of Keaton Raphael, who passed away from cancer in 1998, will be hosting the event. “I was challenged in 2003 to shave my hair when I met the founders in Washington,” Raphael said. “I shaved my head in honor of my son, Keaton, then I came back and rallied the Sacramento community to raise money, and we raised a little over $30,000.” The event will take place at de Vere’s at 1521 L St. from 5 - 8 p.m. Last year,

Each year, 160,000 children are diagnosed with cancer, which is the leading cause of death for youngsters in the US and Canada. At 5pm on March 14, 2011 at deVere's Irish Pub, teams of brave and caring souls will bare their domes in an annual head-shaving, fund raising, philanthropic event that, since its advent, has generated over 56 million dollars to help kids fight and prevent cancer. Friends, family and other caring individuals have pledged donations to each shavee, and onlookers can come get that feel-good sentiment while sipping a pint of pre-St. Patty'sGuinness. But there are other ways one can support the cause without losing their locks- volunteers to help gather shavees, promot