NMCC men give up shaving
to help Red Cross
PRESQUE ISLE — Nearly a dozen male faculty and staff members at Northern Maine Community College decided to forgo shaving in November in order to raise money for Hurricane Sandy relief efforts through the American Red Cross.
THE MEN FROM NMCC who took part in “No Shave November” recently presented an initial gift of $2,250 to the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross. 
Accepting the donation from the Red Cross were, from left: Ann Perier, RN, chair of the advisory board; Joyce Knorr, Aroostook County branch manager; and Bill Thomas, advisory board vice chair and a disaster volunteer. Presenting the funds from NMCC were, from left: Carl Allen, safety instructor; Yusuf Ghodgeri, IT staff; Rob Ottaviano, dining services manager; Frank Pytlak, residential construction instructor; Shawn Lahey, IT staff; Dave Raymond, arts and sciences department chair; Tom Richard, human resources manager/director of housing; Larry LaPlante, finance director; and Greg Thompson, life sciences instructor. Also taking part in the fundraiser but absent from the photo were Eric Pelkey, English instructor, and Glenn Taggett, security.
“The clean-up efforts hadn’t fully started when we began not shaving, but we knew that everything would be fully under way once we were done and wanted to help in some way. It gave us a chance to raise money for those affected by Hurricane Sandy and have a little fun doing it, too,” said Shawn Lahey of the college’s information technology office, who suggested the fundraiser and helped drive the momentum behind it.
While it may have been relatively easy to not shave for a month, the men participating in “No Shave November” worked diligently to collect donations for this worthy cause from across campus and in the local community. Through their efforts more than $2,250 was donated. Some final collections are still under way, and the total dollars will be determined after all the funds have been collected.
Lahey was recognized for having raised the most money for the cause, gathering $625. Others receiving special “honors” for their efforts included Larry LaPlante (most like Santa Claus), Carl Allen (going the most above and beyond), who shaved his existing beard at the start of the month so that he could start fresh for November, and Tom Richard, the most ready to shave his beard off.
“This wonderful endeavor means so much to so many people affected by Hurricane Sandy. More than a month has gone by and the effects of the storm can still be felt in the devastated communities along the East Coast,” said Joyce Knorr, Aroostook County branch manager of the Pine Tree Chapter of the American Red Cross. “Red Cross will continue to be on the scene to help residents effectively manage the recovery process. On behalf of the Red Cross and the victims of Hurricane Sandy, we sincerely thank each gentleman who participated and helped raise these most needed funds, and we thank everyone who contributed to the success!”
