HAMMOND â On Friday morning, Hammond Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr. sat down in his office to receive his first haircut in months.Â
The longtime mayor chatted with others in the room, while 11-year-old Ariyana Alaimo, of Hammond, took a pair of trimmers to his once-full head of hair.Â
Ariyana, a fifth-grader at Harding Elementary School in Hammond, was diagnosed with leukemia more than a year ago, and McDermott chose to raise funds for Ariyana and her family this year, instead of shaving his head for St. Baldrick s Foundation.Â
On Monday, McDermott created a GoFundMe for the family, with an original goal of raising $10,000. As of Friday afternoon, the crowdfunding site had raised $18,459, in addition to $3,000 McDermott gave the family in person.Â
United Way of Santa Barbara County
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - Children and families across Santa Barbara County received gifts in time for the holidays this year thanks to help from United Way of SB County (UWSBC) and community donors.
United Way partnered with Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara and Harding Elementary School to identify children whose families needed a little extra help putting presents under the tree this year.
Each child submitted a special wish list to United Way to share with participating donors from United Way s Young Leaders Society, The Zia Group, L3 Harris and Northern Trust.