Until recently, Reed Braden -- an 18-year-old Virginia Western Community College student from Cave Spring -- had a full head of hair.

Or, if you saw him in the Showtimers production of "Sweeney Todd" in 2006, you saw him with an incredibly full head of hair.

But this past weekend, Braden took the stage at the University of Virginia to join others who were getting their heads shaved as part of a fund-raiser for the St. Baldrick's Foundation to raise money to fight cancer in children.

Why'd he do it? Braden, in his own words, says: "I raised money and shaved my head because I see so many miracle diets and wonderdrugs (homoeopathy and The Hallelujah Diet come to mind) that claim to cure and prevent cancer while actually doing nothing but taking large sums of money from sick people and preventing them from getting the nutrition and medical attention they need. As a hardcore science geek, nothing ticks me off more than to see people being taken advantage of by pseudo-scientific hogwash. Because of this new surge of alternative 'medicine, we need to find a real cure now more than ever."

He also has a friend who recently finished her chemotherapy. "Watching her recover really helped me stay strong while my head was being shaved in front of over a hundred people," Braden says.

He says he expects to keep his hair, or lack therof, like this for a few more weeks yet. "The breeze is refreshing."

If you're interested in donating, check out the St. Baldrick's website.