~ Help a child with cancer by donating to Locks of Love ~
Written: Jan 19 '04 (Updated Jan 21 '04)
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I first heard about Locks of Love a few years back when I was watching the Maury Povich show. They explained how they take hair donations and make them into hairpieces for children that are suffering from serious diseases.
A few years ago I had grown my hair long enough to make the donation and had it cut. I was excited about helping a sick child. I brought home my ponytailed hair and put it in a dresser drawer to mail it in a few days.
Well, here I am now and still have my hair. How did I let so much time pass by? What a disgrace I know. Tomorrow is the day. I have my form filled out and my hair measured. It is packed up as they have requested and will be mailed out tomorrow.
I am thankful that my delay did not ruin my good intentions. I checked with the online site, where I read that it was fine if it had been stored as long as it was in a ponytail. Whew, what a relief! Since I checked the online site I thought that maybe it was listed here at Epinions and sure enough it is! :-)
What exactly is Locks of Love?
*from the website*
"Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 18 suffering from long-term medical hair loss".
Donation Information:
Your donation must be at least 10 inches or longer. It must be sent in a ponytail or a braid. They want it to be clean and dry. Then put it in a plastic bag and send that in a padded envelope. They request that you write the length on the plastic bag. It can be from a man or woman any race or age. The hair can be colored or permed. They ask that you don't send hair that has been swept from the floor. Most of the donated hair comes from children, but anyone is welcome.
To Donate Hair:
Print donation form to send with hair. Send to:
Locks of Love
2925 10th Avenue North Ste. 102
Lake Worth, FL 33461
To Make a Donation with Money:
You can use your Visa or MasterCard. Print the Financial Contribution Form and mail it to the above address. Or you can call 1-888-896-1588.
For children needing a hairpiece:
You must go to the site and print out a submission form that will be given to the board of directors. You must have 2 letters of recommendation with a 1-page essay about the child. They also want a current photo of the children without hair. They need the financial information of the parent or guardian including tax returns. Last, they need the medical information, which is the cause for the hair loss, if it is temporary or permanent, child's doctor and medical diagnosis.
Misc. Information about the site:
The site is very easy to use. I was able to find the instructions for making a hair donation very easily. They have a before & after gallery of pictures. They show several children and what a difference the hair makes! The hairpieces are done so nice that it looks like their own hair. There is also a gallery for the donors, what they looked like before and after their hair was cut.
At the site there is a listing of participating salons that will give you a free haircut if you are donating it to Locks of Love. You can look up the salons by state. Then call to verify that they do still give free cuts.
It takes 6-10 ponytails to make one hairpiece. Locks of Love helps both boys and girls. It is only available for children aged 6-17 who have long-term hair loss due to medical reasons. They do not charge the children. The retail cost of each hairpiece is $3,000 or more.
Final Thoughts:
I am excited and happy about mailing my hair donation tomorrow. I am ashamed that I haven't sent it sooner, but as they say "better late than never". My hair measured 11 inches in length. I hope that it helps to make a pretty hairpiece for a sick child. It breaks my hurt to think of children being sick and going through such terrible things. This is a small thing that I can do to help.
There are things that we can all do to help. Some of us can grow our hair long and then have at least 10 inches cut off in a ponytail. Others of us can make a financial donation. You can also tell others about the site, especially if you know someone who has long hair that is getting cut. Most people are thrilled with the chance to help a sick child.
Now my hair is getting close to being long enough to have cut again for a donation. So when I get ready to cut it again I will be sure and send it to Locks of Love.
http://www.locksoflove.org/
Check out this follow up piece by LiLvoyce. There are some great tips here for someone that has cancer and must learn to live with handling a wig and other valuable info!
Recommended:
Yes
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