In the summer of 2012, the Orange County Rape Crisis Center was looking for a new way to raise money. With a few friends and a pair of hair clippers, Punk Cuts to End Rape was born.

“I got a bunch of my friends together and raised a little over a thousand dollars, and shaved my head, and then a couple of other people got excited and we ended up shaving their heads too,” said Rachel Valentine, the community education director for OCRCC. “It was really successful and really fun. People who love the work that we do, who benefit from the work that we do, and who support it but don’t see themselves as part of the donor class were able to participate by giving five dollars, ten dollars, and it was meaningful and it was fun at the same time.”

Following the success of that first event, Valentine decided to make Punk Cuts to End Rape an annual fundraiser. The event has grown from a group of friends and a pair of hair clippers in Valentine’s living room to a much larger event that raises awareness about sexual violence, increases the participation of younger donors in the effort to fight rape culture and also raises money for the Orange County Rape Crisis Center.

“We have our core team that we call the ‘Punk Stars’ and these are people who set out at least a month in advance,” said Valentine. “They publicly state their goal and they fundraise around that goal, so they get other people to contribute money to the Center and then once they reach their goal they get a free haircut by professional stylists that come in and donate their time to help us out with the project.”

Punk Cuts is geared towards individuals who would like to donate money towards an organization they feel passionate about but lack the funds to be able to do so.

“In terms of the fundraisers here at the agency, it’s definitely one of our edgier events,” said Delores Chandler, the Prevention Coordinator at the Orange County Rape Crisis Center. “It’s a way to get non-traditional donors active in the process.”

Punk Cuts to End Rape 2017 promises to be the biggest one yet. It will be taking place at The Station, with ten live haircuts from professional stylists, dancing and live musical performances from Bangzz. There will also be options for people to donate to the Rape Crisis Center without getting a punk rock ‘do.

“There are people that do the fundraising beforehand and we also have a merchandise table with buttons, and magnets, a couple of tote bags, and it’s all stuff that we’ve made here at the Center,” said Chandler. “We like to have lots of ways that people can participate without committing to getting an intense haircut.”

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