Reflecting recently on becoming a “Knight of the Bald Table” with the St Baldrick’s Foundation, Reed Intermediate School student Charlie Magnano said he plans to continue his efforts “for a while.”

Thanks to a Norwalk High School’s Bears Beating Cancer Club event, Charlie and his father Jeff Magnano — a teacher at Norwalk’s Marvin Elementary School — have been shaving their hair for the annual St Baldrick’s Event for the last seven years.

Magnano said in a recent e-mail, “About a week after my mom (Sheila Magnano) passed, a friend of mine at the high school asked if I wanted to participate in the St Baldrick’s event. I thought it would be a great way to honor my mom. I told Charlie what I was doing, and he said he wanted to do it with me.”

Charlie was three-years old at the time. Magnano said that first year was “bittersweet.”

When asked what having his head shaved was like, Charlie said, in a recent phone interview, that he can see all the hair falling around him. He now only gets his hair cut at the annual event.

Magnano said there was no original intention to get their heads shaved annually, and it is now a tradition for the father and son.

At the May Norwalk High School’s Bears Beating Cancer Club event, along with both being named as a Knight of the Bald Table Magnano and Charlie were also announced as joining the League of Extraordinary Heroes for their contributions. This honor is bestowed upon dedicated volunteers that participate in getting their heads shaved for seven years, according to Magnano.

According to its website, stbaldricks.org, the St Baldrick’s Foundation is a volunteer and donor-powered charity committed to supporting the most promising research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. The St Baldrick’s Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.

Over the years the Magnanos have raised almost $10,000 for the St Baldrick’s Foundation.

When asked if he thinks if others should join the cause, Charlie said yes, because, “it’s just good, for a good cause.”

Education Editor Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.