Whiz Kid: Oak Forest Fifth-Grader Vows to Go Bald, Raises Bucks

Paxton Hoop had been bugging her Dad to let her go bald for years.

"I just wanted to help the kids with cancer," said 11-year-old Paxton. But at first, her dad Tony wasn't a fan of Paxton buzzing off 14 inches of her blond hair.

"It was a stigma for me to have my daughter shave her hair, but now seeing how she’s affected other people around her, and motivated people to raise money for a good cause, it humbles all of us," Hoop said.

Paxton, a fifth-grader at , was one member of a team of girls from her Tinley Park Bulldogs 12-U Travel Softball Team who raised $24,176 for the March 13 St. Baldrick's Day event in Plainfield. Their group, "Team Trooper" is among the top 100 worldwide, for most funds raised. Team Trooper ranks 62nd in the world, 58th in the United States and 7th in the state. They raised the most funds at the Plainfield event.

"A lot of people are sick in hospitals right now, so I’m actually really happy about that," Paxton said.

And the bald head's not so bad, either, Paxton told Patch.

"It’s great, I feel free. When I run outside, I can feel the air bouncing off my head. And it’s easier to get ready in the morning for the school," she said.