Kids create fundraiser, bring in $14,000

When they were about 8 years old, Jake a VanWolvelaar asked Gino Piscopo to join him in getting his head shaved in one of the many local events raising money for the St. Baldrick's Foundation, a charity which raises money for childhood cancer research.

When they turned 9, the two Elk Grove Village youths both got their heads shaved again.

This year, they decided to stage their own St. Baldrick's fundraiser. Their dads lined up their employer, Black Box Network Services, to host the event, and they signed up local businesses, including Jewel Foods, to help. But they also got backing from village hall.

Gino and his dad Frank Piscopo appeared at a village board meeting to ask support.

"Not many 10-year-olds have the guts and the confidence to go before the board," said Gino's proud mom, Brenda.

Mayor Craig Johnson turned to the man sitting next to him and said, "'George, how about you and I do it?'" Brenda said. "He really put him on the spot."

At first, Village Attorney George Knickerbocker seemed reluctant, Brenda said, but then he really got into it, calling regularly as to how his fundraising efforts were going. And since Johnson had more or less forced Knickerbocker into it, Johnson let all his contributions go to the attorney's credit, generating in all about $4,000 in Knickerbocker's name for the event.

Johnson joked at the last board meeting that Knickerbocker, who couldn't be present, was in hiding until his hair grew back. He held up photos of Knickerbocker for the Channel 6 community access broadcast of the meeting.

"He did a tremendous job," Johnson said.

Brenda, who came to the meeting with her husband to thank the officials, said the two youngsters had raised $14,000. And she talked about returning next year to seek village support again.

Johnson said his shaving was a one-time offer, but pointed to other board members whose hair offered possibilities, with Jeffrey Franke's handsome coiffure emerging as a prime target in the good-natured banter that followed.

Then attention turned to the two women on the board - Nancy Czarnik and Chris Prochno.

"We want women," Brenda exclaimed, adding though that she wasn't about to give up her own hair.