Peace officers usually keep their hair pretty short, but more than a dozen members of the Salt Lake County Deputy Sheriff Federation went Yul Brynner bald Saturday to show their support for cancer victims.

The annual Cops United For Fighting Cancer (C.U.F.F. Cancer) "Fund-Razor" event was held at the Valley Regional Park in Taylorsville, at which the officers who were able to raise $100 or more for the Cancer Wellness House had their heads shaved. The deputies begin raising funds two months previously. They have looked forward to the event every year since it started in 2005.

"Some guys let their hair grow out to be unseasonably long and sacrifice a lot of things to get ready for this event," said deputy sheriff James Blanton.

The deputies have been able to average about $7,000 to $8,000 every year. One hundred percent of that goes to the Wellness House, said Dirk Roesler, president of the federation. Some pass out fliers and hit up co-workers, as Blanton did, while others go door-to-door in their neighborhoods or even contact corporate sponsors.

The Albertsons supermarket Women's Initiative Network (AWIN) was also a major supporter of the event. Liz Thompson, a member of the AWIN council, said Albertsons associates donate to charities throughout the year and help support events like C.U.F.F. Cancer. In the past, maintenance workers from their distribution center spent 500 hours doing an "extreme makeover" for the Wellness House.

Andy Marston, operations and volunteer director for the Cancer Wellness House at 59 S. 1100 East said they run entirely on grants and donations to fund their weekly activities for people dealing with cancer.

"We depend on fundraisers and feel a level of gratitude that we can't express," he said.

Volunteers from the Sherman Kendall Academy of Beauty Arts and Sciences performed the head shaving. Events for children were held until 1 p.m.

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E-mail: akirk@desnews.com