Child Life works to help children who are chronically ill maintain normal living patterns and minimize trauma.
"Millions of dollars are spent on cancer research every year," Ferst explained. "I knew that $10,000 would be a drop in the bucket and I wanted to do something for kids who are already sick."
The money will go to buying laptops for Child Life.
"The laptops will allow the kids to do things like watch movies or educational programming or keep up with school work. It will help them stay plugged in, like other kids their age," he said. "It's a small thing, but it can make a big difference."
Buzzing For Change has a strong personal importance for Ferst, who lost his mother to cancer five years ago. The event is a way in which to honor her memory while helping better the lives of children with diseases such as cancer.
The decision to be open about his motivations for starting Buzzing For Change was initially a difficult one for Ferst.
"I wasn't sure how public I wanted to be. I talked with a lot of my friends; they insisted that letting people know why I am doing this would make the event more compelling," he said. "This isn't a whim. Buzzing for Change has a deep personal resonance for me. With their encouragement, I put the information out there. The response has been really positive."
"The correlation between the shaving and cancer cannot be lost," Ferst continued. "While we are trying to beat a world record, the real focus is doing something to help people. The record is another angle from which to look at things. We want to get people interested any way we can."
To beat the record, participants must have their hair shaved down to the two level of a shaver, which leaves the hair a quarter of an inch in length.
"We're encouraging people to go all the way, to strengthen the connection with what radiation therapy patients undergo. But we understand that not everyone is comfortable with that," Ferst said.
"Millions of dollars are spent on cancer research every year," Ferst explained. "I knew that $10,000 would be a drop in the bucket and I wanted to do something for kids who are already sick."
The money will go to buying laptops for Child Life.
"The laptops will allow the kids to do things like watch movies or educational programming or keep up with school work. It will help them stay plugged in, like other kids their age," he said. "It's a small thing, but it can make a big difference."
Buzzing For Change has a strong personal importance for Ferst, who lost his mother to cancer five years ago. The event is a way in which to honor her memory while helping better the lives of children with diseases such as cancer.
The decision to be open about his motivations for starting Buzzing For Change was initially a difficult one for Ferst.
"I wasn't sure how public I wanted to be. I talked with a lot of my friends; they insisted that letting people know why I am doing this would make the event more compelling," he said. "This isn't a whim. Buzzing for Change has a deep personal resonance for me. With their encouragement, I put the information out there. The response has been really positive."
"The correlation between the shaving and cancer cannot be lost," Ferst continued. "While we are trying to beat a world record, the real focus is doing something to help people. The record is another angle from which to look at things. We want to get people interested any way we can."
To beat the record, participants must have their hair shaved down to the two level of a shaver, which leaves the hair a quarter of an inch in length.
"We're encouraging people to go all the way, to strengthen the connection with what radiation therapy patients undergo. But we understand that not everyone is comfortable with that," Ferst said.
