Like Fathers, Like Sons: Duos Shave Heads for St. Baldrick’s

If there was even a slight family resemblance between father-son pairs Rob and Connor Montilla and Dan and Shane O’Leary before, the relationship will be even more apparent after the duos shave their heads for St. Baldrick’s this weekend.

The Montillas of Macomb Township and O’Learys of Washington Township will be among some 380 other "shavees" taking part in The Village of Romeo’s annual St. Baldrick’s Foundation event on Saturday.

In preparation of the signature head shaving event, shavees reach out to their communities to raise funds and awareness for the childhood cancer research promoted by St. Baldrick's.

“All organizations that fight cancer are important and it is amazing that so many in our community find different outlets to do their part to combat this terrible disease,” said Rob Montilla. “St. Baldrick's has a great reputation for channeling a significant portion of their proceeds directly to children's cancer research. Events like this bring a community together and are a wonderful celebration of life.”

While this is the second year Rob Montilla will lose his locks for the cause, it is the first for his 11-year-old son Connor.

“This will be his first year and he decided on his own to join in after seeing me have my head shaved last year. I am so proud of him as he recognized on his own the importance of trying to help someone in need.”

The Montillas join Washington Township Supervisor Dan O’Leary and his son Shane on Team Bald Elephants this year.

"This is my third year and my son's second," said Dan O'Leary. "I'm proud of him. He's 21, and it takes a lot for a young person to put their hair aside and it shows he understands the importance of it and serving the community. I'm glad to see it."

As of Thursday, 52 teams and 383 shavees were registered to take part in Saturday's shave. Together, these teams have raised more than $140,000, but still have a ways to go to reach their $250,000 goal.

Organizers expect more than 5,000 people to fill the streets of Romeo Saturday to support the shavees' cause and enjoy the kids' activities, raffles, food and live entertainment planned throughout the day.

While every shavee has his or her own reason for participating, Rob Montilla said his lies in being a parent.

"As a father of three, it breaks my heart to hear of children that are ill, particularly those afflicted with this disease. A friend of mine has a daughter who is a cancer survivor and it was such a trying period in their lives. Our family has been very fortunate and the least I could do was have my head shaved to show support for my friend's daughter and the other children that are fighting to get well."

Dan O'Leary agreed with Montilla, but said he also participates to show his support as a member of the community.

"Our area is still a pretty small town area, and when a kid gets sick, everybody knows about it. I don’t know if we have more incidents than other towns, but we know about it. It's such a tight community, you feel the impact. The real issue is why is it happening and how to we stop it?"

Live entertainment and kids activities start at 1 p.m. in Downtown Romeo and the shaving of the heroes starts at 3:45 p.m. in the Romeo Lions Fieldhouse.

For more information on St. Baldrick's, or how to donate to the team's participating in Saturday's event, click here.

Find a complete schedule of Saturday's events, including live musical performances .