When his close friend Larry Boyd was diagnosed with ALS, Ralph “Boonie” Lethbridge of Clarenville, Newfoundland, decided he wanted to help him out anyway he could. Well know in the community for selling Christmas trees, Lethbridge decided he would try to raise money for the ALS Society of Newfoundland by agreeing to shave off his four-decades-old whiskers.
After setting an initial goal of raising $5,000, Lethbridge managed to collect over ten times that. He and his wife Virginia were blown away by the outpouring of support. Donations started coming in from the entire community, and they ended up raising $51,000.
After 40 years it can be tough to get a close shave – so they brought out the heavy clippers. #cbcnl pic.twitter.com/YvC0Q4vADI
— Chris Ensing (@ChrisEnsingCBC) January 24, 2016
“People that I don’t even know have approached me. People have given me donations in the stores,” Virginia told the CBC. “People just want to help out. It’s amazing. You don’t know how many friends you’ve got before you start something like this.”
The shave was held at a packed hockey arena during a senior’s game this past Sunday. Virginia kicked off the event, saying how proud she was of her husband as a cousin began clipping.
“I never said that before, but today I’m really proud of him because he went into it big time.”
And here's Boone seeing himself shaved for the first time in four decades. #cbcnl pic.twitter.com/1Kr7n9CbqZ
— Chris Ensing (@ChrisEnsingCBC) January 24, 2016
Lethbridge was pretty excited about the shave as well. It had been a long time since he last glimpsed his chin.
“I’m going to look beautiful with two blue eyes and two front teeth, happiest man in the world.”
To find out how you can contribute to the ALS Society of Canada, click here.
Also on RNR:
https://youtu.be/TbP4oGZ8R0g
