THUNDER BAY -- Local women are putting down their razors and pulling out their pocketbooks to support the fourth annual Jan-U-Hairy fundraiser for brain cancer research.
Many are seeking pledges from friends, family and even colleagues, who have dared them to come to work with their unshaven legs exposed.
Last year marked the first time a man participated as Kenora's Arcade Zilinski proudly shaved his legs at January's end amid women who had been growing their leg hair all month long.
The furry fundraiser grew from a hospital visit Natacha Ruberto took to address a persistent headache in 2012. She passed away suddenly in December of that year after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumour.
As the year anniversary of Natacha's death approached, her cousin Jackie Ruberto assembled family and friends to turn their feelings around Christmas without her into a positive force.
A lot has changed in the four years since Natacha passed away but the tradition of fuzzy fundraising has become an annual institution.
"She left behind two little ones so we thought, we'll have fun, raise some money, grow the hair on our legs," Jackie said.
"Now it's year four and we'd love to see it grow into something that her children could take part and take over. They're going to be nine and six (years old) this year so maybe by the time they've taken over, we could have done huge for research by then."
The event raised $7,400 in 2016 and Jackie has set a $10,000 fundraising goal for this month. The family's efforts have raised a total of $23,000 since they launched the fundraiser back in 2013.
"Yes we joke and kid about the hairiness and what-have-you but deep down, cancer sucks. There are so many different kinds of cancer and this is just our silly way of raising money."
Natacha's mother Joanne (Giovannia) Ruberto said the family chose the first month of the year to coincide with Natacha's birthday on Jan. 7,
She sees support for the initiative growing beyond Thunder Bay's city limits, suggesting there may be an appetite for Jan-U-Hairy to be embraced by a broader audience.
"We want to take it out of Thunder Bay," Joanne said.
"We do have people give us pledges from out of town, out of province and out of country. I've received pledges from Belium and Southern Ontario, from Wales and France."
