Lori Costa-Cline
Special to the Express
Team Shiney Clineys and Friends held a public BuzzOff for kids with cancer on Sunday June 13 on the Halifax Town Hall Green. They have been working since January to fundraise for OneMission.org. The BuzzOff is the day the team of five- James Cline, Jay Cline, Lori Costa-Cline, Don Cline of Halifax and Christy Winslow of Plympton go bald to help raise awareness and funds to help kids and their families dealing with cancer.
The team put together an event to encourage folks to stop by and see what the “buzz” was all about. Donors were offered an entry to an appreciation raffle to win a prize from local businesses. Donors could write on a thank you sign and were treated to homemade cookies and other treats. Local business owner Teeka Garron of Teeka Lynne’s Salon has volunteered her time, tools and talent for the past two years, as COVID-19 prevented large events at Gillette. This year Amy Allison, fellow Teeka Lynne’s stylist, joined her.
The Salon is also continuing to collect donations for Team Shiney Clineys for anyone who wants to take part.
The scene generated excitement from passers-by with lots of honks. Many community members stopped by throughout the day to offer support. Several people pulled their cars up to make “drive-by” donations. Some even decided to get a shave on the spot with their donation. Local business owner PJ Small of PJ Plumbing and Heating was driving by on his way from Walmart and took the plunge. Brad White heard about the event on Facebook and stopped by to get more information. He left and came back an hour later with $1000 in donation pledges!
This event is something 15-year – old James Cline, Team Captain, and his Mom Lori Costa-Cline have been talking about doing for years since his first shave. In 2015, at the age of 9 James saw a commercial about shaving heads to help kids with Cancer and asked his mom if he could do this. His goal was to raise $50 by selling candy for $1 at his soccer and baseball games. In the end he raised over $250, five times his original goal.
In 2018, James participated in the OneMission.org BuzzOff at Gillette. The event was so inspiring that his brother Jay Cline and his Mom Lori committed to joining him for the 2019 BuzzOff. Team Shiney Clineys was born with James as Team Captain. In 2020 James’s Dad, Don Cline a cancer survivor himself, joined the team. Family friend and One Mission BuzzOff Veteran Christy Winslow of Plympton paired up with the Shiney Clineys. Christy had wanted to shave her head for years but wanted a good reason and she found it in One Mission. This is Christy’s 5th Anniversary supporting One Mission and she alone has raised over $1800.
On Sunday the team collected $605 in cash donations. The team set a goal of $3000 and has collected over $4500 to date. They are able to accept donations through July 31st and are hoping to reach $5000 by then.
You can support the team through the link here:
http://www.myonemission.org/shineyclineysandfriends?langPref=en-CA#.YLUBKajsuuA.mailto
One Mission is a pediatric cancer charity that does whatever it takes to get kids through cancer. One Mission programs make living in the hospital less lonely and stressful, bring back joy in a time of fear and uncertainty, and give kids and their loved ones the support they need to get through the emotional and financial challenges of treatment. Ashley and Ari Haseotes, are the founders of One Mission. They formed this group after their child battled cancer. Ari is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cumberland Gulf Group. Ashley is the President of One Mission.