Granite > Resources > Press Releases > Patriots’ Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Gov. Maura Healey and 800+ Granite Teammates Participate in Granite’s 10th Annual

Patriots’ Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Gov. Maura Healey and 800+ Granite Teammates Participate in Granite’s 10th Annual

Patriots’ Devin McCourty, Matthew Slater, Gov. Maura Healey and 800+ Granite Teammates Participate in Granite’s 10th Annual ‘Saving by Shaving’ Event to Benefit Boston Children’s Hospital

Granite’s ‘Saving by Shaving’ Event Has Raised More than $50 Million for Health Care in the Past Decade

QUINCY, Mass. – March 9, 2023 – Granite Telecommunications, a $1.8 billion provider of communications and technology solutions to multilocation businesses and government agencies, announced that more than 800 people participated in the 10th annual “Saving by Shaving” event, raising more than $4 million for Boston Children’s Hospital and bringing the total raised in the history of the event to more than $50 million.

Saving by Shaving proceeds support Boston Children’s mission of unmatched care and world-class science and commitment to healing children, helping families and fueling lifesaving research for every child, putting kids from around the world on the path to a healthier, more promising future.

Additionally, Saving by Shaving raised $100,000 each for two charities chosen by New England Patriots’ football players. These include Boston Uncornered, a nonprofit selected by safety Devin McCourty, and Edmiston Center, a nonprofit selected by wide receiver Matthew Slater.

At today’s event Granite CEO Rob Hale, along with Granite teammates, families and friends, were joined by community leaders, celebrities and athletes, including Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey; Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch; Kevin Churchwell, MD, President/CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital; Patriots’ stars Joe Andruzzi, Matt Light, Devin McCourty and Matthew Slater; and radio personality Greg Hill.

“What started out as a dare 10 years ago has grown into one of the highlights of every year,” said Hale. “I am proud of the Granite team and the greater community and how we work together to support the amazing work done by Boston Children’s Hospital. Boston Children’s Hospital helps families from near and far with the answers they seek, and we are honored to play a part in supporting that mission.”

“For 10 years, the Granite team has helped us seek answers, improve care, and simply do more for the children and families we serve,” said Boston Children’s Hospital President and CEO Kevin B. Churchwell, MD. “When you shave your head or your beard for Saving by Shaving, you’re doing more than raising money — you’re standing with our patients in their time of need.”

In the past 10 years, more than 10,000 people have participated in the “Saving by Shaving” event by shaving their heads and donating their hair, raising more than $50 million for charitable organizations.

For each person who shaved their head or donated at least 8 inches of their hair, Granite donated $2,500, which was matched dollar for dollar by the Hale family, for a total of $5,000 per head to pediatric research and treatments for The Every Child Fund at Boston Children’s Hospital.

Additionally, all locks of hair will be donated to Hair We Share, which creates custom wigs free of charge for those affected by medical hair loss.

Plus, a donation of $100 was made for every “chemo cap” (a hat for cancer patients who’ve lost hair due to chemotherapy) created by the Granite Fiber Art’s team. This year the team handcrafted 250 hats for children and adults, for a running total of 3,000.

The “Saving by Shaving” event also was supported by Granite’s business customers and local businesses, such as:

  • Dunkin Donuts, which provided coffee and breakfast for the volunteers and barbers/stylists and Lamberts, which provided lunch.
  • Professional barbers and stylists, who donated their time and expertise.

The “Saving by Shaving” event was closed to the general public, but Granite encourages like-minded individuals to support funding for pediatric cancer research by donating to Boston Children’s Hospital. Click here to donate.

Granite’s annual “Saving by Shaving” fundraiser began 10 years ago when CEO Rob Hale jokingly dared a member of his team to shave his ZZ Top-style beard in exchange for a $1,000 donation to a cancer hospital. Over the next two weeks, hundreds more Granite teammates reached out to Hale asking for the same opportunity to raise funds and shave their heads or beards in solidarity with those undergoing chemotherapy. From there, 428 teammates turned out at Granite’s first “Saving by Shaving” event and raised more than $2.2 million to benefit cancer research.

Supporters

  • Governor Maura Healey
  • Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch
  • Kevin Churchwell, MD, President and CEO, Boston Children’s Hospital
  • Joe Andruzzi, New England Patriots
  • Matt Light, New England Patriots
  • Devin McCourty, New England Patriots
  • Matthew Slater, New England Patriots
  • Greg Hill, WEEI, “The Greg Hill Morning Show”

Barbers & Stylists

In addition, the “Saving by Shaving” event is supported by Granite’s business customers and local businesses, including professional barbers and stylists who donated their time and expertise.

  • Hairplace One
  • Salon Matteo
  • Paul’s Barber Shop
  • Salon Persona
  • SuperCuts
  • The Cuttery
  • 1604 Salon & Spa
  • Shear Excitement
  • Great Cuts
  • Milton Barbershop

Photos & Videos

Photos and videos are available to press on request. Contact Khali Henderson at

BuzzTheory (for Granite), 480.848.6726, khenderson@buzztheory.com or Aimee McMillin at BuzzTheory (for Granite), 901.857.5811, amcmillin@buzztheory.com

ABOUT GRANITE

Granite delivers advanced communications and technology solutions to businesses and government agencies throughout the United States and Canada. The $1.8 billion company serves more than two-thirds of Fortune 100 companies and has 1.75 million voice and data lines under management, supporting more than 650,000 locations. Founded in 2002, Granite has grown to be one of the largest competitive telecommunications carriers in the U.S. by simplifying sourcing and management of voice, data and cellular service with a single point of contact and consolidated invoicing for all locations nationwide. Today, Granite supports customers with a wide range of services, including access, UCaaS, mobile voice and data, and MSP solutions for SD-WAN, monitoring and network management. Granite employs more than 2,250 people at its headquarters in Quincy, Massachusetts and 11 regional offices nationwide. For more information, visit www.granitenet.com.

ABOUT HAIR WE SHARE

Hair We Share was formed in 2014 and is supported by over 40 years of experience in custom design for wigs and hair pieces. We are extremely proud to say that Hair We Share is rapidly making a mark in the medical related hair loss communities, improving lives and restoring the confidence of men, women and children throughout the USA. For more information, visit https://hairweshare.org/

Media Contacts:

Jeremy Robison

PR Manager

Granite

617.845.4027

jrobison@granitenet.com

Lauren Grenier Cheney

Marketing Director

Granite

781.884.5290

lgrenier@granitenet.com

Khali Henderson

BuzzTheory (for Granite)

480.999.5297

khenderson@buzztheory.com

Aimee McMillin

BuzzTheory (for Granite)

901.857.5811

amcmillin@buzztheory.com