Auburn University Dance Marathon staff will go to an assortment of lengths in order to raise money for children in need. Hunter Burchfield, senior in geography, shaved his head to an eighth of an inch to raise money for the children of AUDM.
With his senior year being his first serving on the AUDM staff, Burchfield said he decided to give it his all.
“It’s one of those being a senior now, I wanted to make sure I was giving back to all the things that are worthwhile and make sure I could bring attention to them,” Burchfield said. “This was the perfect opportunity to get involved and make a difference before I peace out.”
Burchfield said shaving his head exhibited the importance of AUDM to him and to the kids of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.
“Everyone who knows me knows that I like my hair,” Burchfield said. “I’m very particular about my hair and I thought, ‘What am I going to do that’s going to get people to donate, become more aware of what I’m doing and get involved?’”
Burchfield said he decided to step out of his comfort zone to do so. Burchfield shaved his hair down to an eighth of an inch, ridding his head of the hair that once flowed long and thick. Burchfield said the shock it created brought attention to AUDM, which was his whole goal.
“It was a wow factor,” Burchfield said. “Everyone was shocked. They even made memes about it, but it made people wonder how they could get involved with something that would make them care so much to do something so far out of their comfort zones like I did.”
By shaving his head, Burchfield raised between $200-300, his largest fundraising accomplishment so far. Burchfield had those who paid higher amounts do some of the shaving themselves, which built more support for his goal.
Along with shaving his head, Burchfield dressed up in a dinosaur onesie during AUDM’s “Kid for a Day” event in October, during which volunteers and staff dress up as a child for the duration of the day until raising $100.
Burchfield described the shock of his professors as they walked into their classrooms to find a dinosaur sitting in a desk. The shock paid off, however, as two of Burchfield’s professors donated to his cause and ultimately pushed him over his $100 fundraising goal.
Burchfield’s dinosaur costume influenced two of his friends to register as volunteers for Main Event in February after they saw the “fun side” of raising money for a good cause.
Burchfield said his passion for AUDM comes from trying to understand the struggles experienced by the children who suffer from extreme illnesses each year and are impacted by the work members of Dance Marathon put in.
“If I was told when I was that young that my life would end in a couple years or however long they have, I would be terrified,” Burchfield said. “I’d hope that there’d be people out there who’d put forth this effort for me to get a chance at the future.”
This year, Burchfield serves as a morale captain and focuses on recruiting volunteers, hyping up fundraising, and making sure everyone during Main Event remains passionate for the kids. Once his hair grows back, Burchfield said he plans on dying his hair pink for Main Event to get everyone ready for the day’s excitement.
Burchfield still has a fundraising goal of $1,000 to hit before Main Event. With a month left, Burchfield said he believes he can do so because of what drives him.
“I’m not super smart or super great. I can’t find a cure for cancer or these other illnesses, but I can support a cause that’s going to hopefully do all of that one day.”
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