Making good on a promise is sometimes hard and cold. Temperatures were in the low 20s the weekend Montana Ducks Unlimited staff had to follow through with their promise to shave their heads if volunteers raised $1 million in 2019. DU Montana Regional Director Barry Allen, Montana State Chair Jake Hansen, DU Director of Development Chris Hildebrandt, and DU Montana Manager of Conservation Programs Bob Sanders all went under the knife, scissors and shaver.

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The volunteers hit their mark. I didnt want my buddies to go through this alone, so I joined the group to brave the shave Sanders said. Also, on the conservation side, DU hit 100,000 acres of conservation in FY19, our highest delivery year ever.

The privilege to apply razor to scalp was auctioned off at Montanas DU Volunteer Appreciation Day in February. More than 20 aspiring stylists sheared the four hapless victims heads in front of a cheering and laughing crowd of more than 100 Ducks Unlimited volunteers. Hildebrandt went one step further and offered up his beard, which he had been growing out for months.

Barry asked me four years ago if I would be willing to join him in getting my head shaved if the volunteers could raise $1 million in event income, Hildebrandt said. This would be a team effort that included event and major donor money run through events, so I was all in.

Allen remarked, A great celebration, but in hindsight, it would have been nicer if the head shaving could have happened during a summer event.