We're here in Red Hook, Brooklyn for TechCrunch Disrupt NY and Jon Shieber's beard is getting out of control. It's getting shaved for the Red Hook Initiative .

Jon is a gentle soul and a fine writer. As a Senior Editor he is tasked with organizing and managing Crunch Network. It's a large job, clearly consuming so much of Jon's life that he doesn't have time to shave.

For Disrupt NY we partnered with the Red Hook Initiative (RHI), a community center whose mission is to empower Red Hook youth to be “inspired, resilient, and healthy, and to envision themselves as co-creators of their lives, community and society.” Participants in RHI’s Digital Stewards program, which prepares young people for jobs in the IT industry, are volunteering at the show and participating in the Hackathon.

RHI is a worthwhile cause and we would like to help some more. If $1,000 is raised, it would allow the program to cover the cost of a job training session. And if we raise $1,000, we'll shave Jon's beard live on Disrupt TV this Wednesday.

If we raise $500, Jon will lose everything but a goatee. If we raise just $250, Jon will get mutton chops. 

Use this GoFundMe page to contribute to the cause or donate directly  to the Red Hook Initiative here.