A coworker of mine and I are racing to raise money for charity with the ultimate stakes on the line: our hair.

What's this all about, then?

After months of growing out our luscious locks in quarantine, Saru Thuraiman (the manager of a sister team of mine at Bloomberg) and I have developed quite the manes. During meetings I would note the progress of my 'do, from ordinarily shaggy, to Justin Bieber, to 70s Beatles, to 80s Beatles... all the while my hair has continued to take on a life of its own, provoking stares of amazement from my girlfriend.

So when another team lead in our department suggested that Saru and I risk it all for the sake of charity, it was serious decision.

How does it work?

The gimmick is that we enter into a competition with each other to raise money for charity, with the loser shaving his head entirely (with video evidence of course). To add some extra incentive to fund-raise, we've also agreed to both shave if we reach our thresholds.

Now the real kicker here is that we've coordinated with Bloomberg's philanthropy division to match all donations to each of our charities (up to a maximum of $20,000 apiece). So if either of our causes seem worthy to you and you'd like to be a part of supporting them, this will give you the chance to double the impact of your contribution.

Please check out Saru's page to hear his side of the story and learn about his charity, World Central Kitchen.

What is the charity?

For my charity I've chosen Medecins Sans Frontieres (aka Doctors Without Borders). Even in the best of times, MSF works in some of the most dangerous and stricken places in the world to deliver medical care. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the need for healthcare for needy people all around the world, including in the US, has become strikingly apparent. This disease disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable among us, with poor and minority communities bearing the greatest costs. While most of us may not be medical professionals, we can still support the fight against the pandemic.

I've long heard that MSF does a good job of spending money on their programs and being present in at-risk locations, and some of the charity review information out there confirms this for me.

Okay but back to the hair...

Of course, the most significant thing here is that my hair clearly represents a much greater value to society than Saru's at this point. I mean look at the pictures in the gallery... it's glorious (link may take a bit to load, but trust me it's worth it).

Help me keep it that way and ensure Saru is the one who gets buzzed. It's an act of mercy for him, really. He'll feel much more comfortable in the summer heat without all of that hair.

JustGiving boiler plate

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.