WHEATFIELD, N.Y. — Slawich Cut & Shave, a barber shop in Wheatfield, hosted its annual ‘Cuts for Connor’ event in honor of their former customer, 10-year-old Connor O’Neil, whose battle with brain cancer ended last August.
The event was created in hopes of raising several thousand dollars for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where Connor was treated for several months.
“It’s important because our barber shop is a community barber shop, so everybody supports each other around here,” said Michael Slawich, owner of Slawich Cut & Shave. “Business to business, family to family, and we feel everybody who comes in out barber shop is family.”
Connor’s memory now will always be alive thanks to an unlikely source, his barber, Robert Phillips.
“It’s a terrible thing. I feel it shouldn’t happen to kids,” Phillips said
“We just miss our buddy, love him so much, and hope we can honor him,” said Connor’s mom Jill O’Neil.
“He’s here with us today looking down on all of us,” said Connor’s dad Keith O’Neil.
Phillips had cut Connor’s hair for a few years prior to his diagnosis.
After getting word of Connor’s cancer, Phillips and his co-workers organized a fundraiser for Connor and his family in 2021 while he was going through treatments.
They organized and even larger event than the first one on Sunday In his memory.
“We decided whatever we can do to help this family to we will,” Slawich said.
“They’re a really young group of men, and the fact that they want to do this for someone in their community is amazing to me,” said Connor’s mom Jill.
Sunday’s fundraiser gave 100% of profits to St. Jude’s Hospital.
They had the goal of raising at least $25 thousand.
“If we get to that benchmark, then we can donate the money directly to a specific diagnosis… [and] hopefully find a cure for the caner Connor had,” Phillips said.
The event featured a live band, kids’ events and haircuts that only asked for a donation as form of payment.
Connor’s 7-year-old brother Tanner decided to do something new for his haircut, and will sport a mohawk - all for an event that Connor’s parents Keith and Jill said he would have loved too.
“Connor would have been playing with all the kids, he would have loved this,” Keith said.
“He would have loved it. Bounce houses are like his jam,” Jill said.
The barbershop will continue accepting donations in person through the end of the week.
