What started as a prank between Harper Creek High School seniors Ben Ramos and Camden Robinson, and the school’s assistant principal, Joe Yurisich, evolved into a community effort, creating a huge impact on Calhoun County’s chapter of Isaiah 117 House. Isaiah 117 House is a non-profit organization, named after a biblical verse emphasizing righteousness, fairness, and compassion for those who are vulnerable. Calhoun County Isaiah 117 House Location Leader Emily Olmstead shared the history of her organization locally and nationally, and the goals of the institution. “When kids in our county are removed from whatever situation they are in, which is deemed unsafe, they are sent to the Toeller Building in downtown Battle Creek to wait in an office space for a placement. The Toeller Building houses the health department and CPS, and is not the best environment for children to wait. Our goal is to create a more kid-friendly transition space for these children. We are currently in the process of building a home to create a nurturing and safe environment. The community has been involved in making this project a reality. There will be one full-time person and two part-time workers to staff the house, as well as approximately 60 volunteers. We broke ground in May of 2023. We will serve all of Calhoun County. DHS will determine how many kids we can house at one time. There will be two bedrooms with two beds in each, as well as an overflow space to serve a few more kids. We are hoping to open in March 2026. Isaiah 117 House first began in Tennessee in 2017. For those individuals who want to help, there are many ways to get involved, including caregivers and upkeep of the property and house.”
Ramos and Robinson, along with support from Yurisich, were recently able to raise more than $15,000 for Isaiah 117 House in less than 8 weeks. Their story dates back to September 2024. “A year ago, Ben and I wanted to do something to create excitement beyond football during one of our high school games,” Robinson explained. “Ben had always had long hair, and I had been joking around with him that it would be fun to shave his head. I thought it would be neat to do this in front of many of our friends in front of the student section at a football game. Ben finally relented spontaneously as we walked into the football stadium one Friday night last fall, and he announced that he was ready for me to pull off the prank that night. I ran home, grabbed a pair of clippers, and rushed back to the stadium.” Robinson expected this experience to generate excitement, but not to the level that it did. “Many of our classmates pulled out their phones and videotaped as I shaved Ben’s head before the game started. It created a buzz that lasted well beyond that night, with everyone sharing and posting their videos on social media.”
The excitement of that moment went beyond Harper Creek’s student body. It created a memory for some of Harper Creek’s teachers as well. Yurisich described how what Robinson and Ramos did a year ago provided momentum for something much bigger. “A few weeks into the current school year, I saw Ben and Camden walking down the hall. I was joking with them about how there would be no more heads being shaved. Camden played along, asking me how much it would cost for him to shave my head and beard. Initially, I dismissed the idea and responded that it would cost at least a million dollars.”
The verbal exchange planted a seed for Yurisich, as he thought about something much bigger. He countered Camden’s request with something more reasonable. “In recent years, Isaiah 117 House had become a special organization that my family had made a connection with,” Yurisich shared. “My sister, Jessica, and her husband took in a foster child a few years ago and recently adopted her. Our family has volunteered much of their time to the organization. I told Ben and Camden that if they could raise $10,000 for Isaiah 117 House before homecoming, they could shave my head and beard in front of the track in the football stadium between the 1st and 2nd quarters of the homecoming game. I had my beard since 2011, so my kids and Harper Creek’s current students had never seen me without it.” Witnessing their assistant principal having his beard and head shaved would most likely create some excitement, but the outpouring of support from the community was larger than expected.
The amount of money raised in such a short period of time makes for a feel-good story. It brought a community together for one common goal and inspired Ramos, Robinson, and Yurisich. Yurisich reflected on the two-month journey. “The boys raised $15,000, with $10,105 from a GoFundMe account they set up. Another $2,700 in cash donations came in. We had a couple of hat days at the high school and middle school, for students to donate $1 to wear a hat for the day. An anonymous donor gave about $2,000 the night of the homecoming game to push to total to $15,000. A few weeks ago, Channel 3 did a story that sparked interest and helped fundraising go from $4,000 to $10,000 in a week and a half.”
The experience left a lasting impression on Robinson. “When Mr. Yurishich told us about Isaiah 21 House, Ben and I decided to do some research about it and found that it was a good charity that helped children in our community,” Robinson explained. “This helped us get excited to help out. The Harper Creek community donated a lot of money in a short period of time and helped spread the word. It wouldn't have turned into something this big without the community.” Shaving their assistant principal’s beard and head was a surreal experience. Robinson reflected on this. “There was a ton of excitement with it being homecoming. We decided to do it between the 1st and 2nd quarters. The crowd really got involved in and excited about watching this. It was cool to be a part of it.” The entire experience inspired Robinson. “I would love to be able to do more fundraising for Isiaah 21 House in the future,” he said. “Any amount of time that anyone can spend volunteering or any donation, large or small, can go a long way.”
The experience was an eye-opening one for Ramos as well. “This was the first time being involved in any type of fundraising for me,” Ramos said. “It was a learning experience. I didn’t think we would get as much attraction and publicity as we did. It was cool to be a part of it.”
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