Pharmacy Students Raise $10K for 13Thirty Cancer Connect

Students with the Wegmans School of Pharmacy’s chapter of the National Community Oncology Dispensing Association (NCODA) raised more than $10,000 for 13thirty Cancer Connect, a Rochester-based organization that helps adolescents and young adults (AYAs) affected by cancer.

The chapter hosted Bald for Bucks, which brought the School of Pharmacy community together to shave or cut their hair while raising funds in support of AYAs served by 13Thirty.

This marks the fourth time the School has sponsored a Bald for Bucks event. Prior to the pandemic, Dr. Amy L. Parkhill, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, would organize fundraisers with students taking her community-engaged learning course, Introduction to Cancer Biology and Treatment.

This year, NCODA decided to bring the event back in large part to show support for Dr. Matthew Zak, assistant professor and assistant director of experiential education, whose daughter is currently undergoing treatment for a brain tumor.

“I was eager to organize an event that would bring together all of the pharmacy classes, faculty, and staff in a fun and meaningful way,” said Angelina Smith, a third-year pharmacy student and president of NCODA. “While the planning process was at times overwhelming—especially since it was my first time in a presidential role, and I had never coordinated something of this scale before—it was all worth it when I stepped back and remembered the cause we were supporting. It made every challenge feel worthwhile.”

Smith credited the tight-knit Fisher community for coming together to plan the evening, including volunteer barbers from The Elegant Gent, families who pitched in to create raffle baskets, and outreach to help promote the fundraiser.

During the event, which was held at Three Heads Brewing, 10 students, two Fisher employees, and one alumna signed up to shave their head, shave their facial hair, or cut their tresses, while others participated in the raffles.

“I always feel privileged to be a professor at Fisher and within the Wegmans School of Pharmacy, but this event was positively overwhelming for many of us involved and showed the real sense of family and community we have within our School,” said Zak. “It truly was a special day that highlighted the generosity, camaraderie, and compassion of everyone within our community and it’s something that will stick with me for a long time.”