May 22, 2009
Fundraiser was hair raising
Langley's political leaders not only put their leg hair on the line, they did it in front of a crowd of hundreds at Fort Langley's May Day celebrations.
Volunteers from the Mi Casa spa removed the leg hair from Langley City Mayor Peter Fassbender, Township Mayor Rick Green, and MP Mark Warawa.
The event was a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society's Langley Relay for Life, taking place today at the McLeod Athletic Park.
MP Mark Warawa was steadied by Relay organizer Howie Vickberg during the waxing process on May Day.
By all accounts Warawa, the most hirsute of the trio, suffered the worst.
"It hurt," Warawa said after the event.
His wife Diane was by his side while the hair was torn away, strip by strip.
"You should have seen the expression on his face!" she said.
In comparison, Green said he got off lightly.
"It was wonderful, it really was," Green said.
Green said the waxing wasn't too bad, all things considered.
"It hurts, that's the bottom line!" said Fassbender after his waxing.
He did get to keep his moustache, however, as there was no single pledge of $1,000 or more. He had vowed to shave if such a pledge was made.
With donations from the crowd, and from Green, a total of $1,000 was raised during the event itself, but Fassbender was gone by the time the money was counted.
Fassbender and Warawa have been longtime supporters of the Relay, while Green, in his first year as mayor, has been learning about the event in recent months.
"The Relay is always a very emotional event for a lot of folks," said Fassbender. "As a cancer survivor, I'm always very moved by the luminaries ceremony."
The Relay for Life runs from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. starting Friday night.
Donations to teams and individuals can still be made this weekend and later in the week, through the Cancer Society's website at www.bc.cancer.ca.
© Langley Advance 2009
