By Anthony V. Coppola, Staff Writer
CHESTERFIELD Close to 20 members of Chesterfield’s Cub Scout Pack 55 lined up Tuesday night to shave the head of Pack Chairman Rex van Veldhuisen.
The trim job was the result of a challenge issued by Mr. van Veldhuisen to the pack regarding a popcorn sale fundraiser. And although the estimated earnings of close to $10,000 exceeded expectations, a more symbolic reason existed behind his new look.
Mr. van Veldhuisen’s wife, Donna, is being treated for ovarian cancer, and both Pack 55 and its leaders want to offer the van Veldhuisens as much help as possible.
”I wondered what else I could do to help my wife and make her feel better,” Mr. van Veldhuisen said. “I thought, I’m going to get my hair cut for two reasons.”
The 20-minute procedure has Mr. van Veldhuisen’s construction co-workers and even his wife wanting a little more off the top.
”They are saying the Scouts didn’t take enough off,” Mr. van Veldhuisen said with a laugh. “They were hesitant to cut it at first. It was fun.”
But they haven’t hesitated in easing the burden accompanied with the life-altering routines attached to battling a disease like cancer. Each November the pack usually schedules a hike, but this year they opted to take part in a community service event. The Scouts separated into three shifts over a span of two weekends to help do chores at the van Veldhuisen house.
”They (Scouts and leaders) said let us help with your yard so you can spend more time with your wife,” Mr. van Veldhuisen said. “Being a spouse of a person going through treatments is a new experience. We haven’t gone through it before and hopefully we won’t have to again.”
Mr. van Veldhuisen didn’t want to lose sight of the effort the Scouts put forth in the fundraiser. The earnings represent an increase of $2,000 from the previous year.
”We get 30 percent of our earnings back from this event so we wanted to raise awareness of its importance,” Mr. van Veldhuisen said. “The Scouts did an outstanding job. They really took to it.”
As for the support his family has received, Mr. van Veldhuisen said everything has been very special.
”How do you say yes, no or maybe to people offering help? You can’t,” Mr. van Veldhuisen said. “The outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming.”

