The varsity baseball team has raised $1,556 to fight pediatric cancer in honor of Chris “Beebop” Robinson ’13 who died of leukemia in November 2011.

The team is raising money for the Vs. Cancer foundation and for every dollar they raise, 50 percent will go to the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, and the other 50 percent will go to national cancer research.

To promote their cause, members of the team plan to shave their heads between games on Feb. 16, at O’Malley Field. They hope to have raised $5,000 by then, but are keeping the last possible date for donations open until April 1. They plan to present a check to the UCLA medical center and to visit children in the hospital sometime between April and June.

Baseball coach Matt LaCour introduced the idea to varsity player Austin Schoff ’13 at the beginning of the season and Schoff started working with Vs. Cancer foundation head Chase Jones, a former Stage IV brain cancer patient and University of North Carolina baseball player, on planning the fundraiser. On Jan. 23, after about a month of planning, the two opened the online fundraising page.

“Chris was one of my closest friends, and during his battle he showed incredible fortitude,” Schoff said. “My goal with this fundraiser is not only to reach our goal, but to spread awareness and make sure nobody has to go through the fight that Christ went through for two years.”

Visit www.stayclassy.org/events/baseball-vs-cancer/e22904 to donate to the cause.