By Shannon Wilkinson
Staff Writer
Multiple high school girls know what it is like to donate their hair to Locks of Love, Pink Heart Fund or any other organization, but something most high school students do not know, is that young girls in elementary schools participate in this as well.
Students attending Denton Creek Elementary, Mockingbird Elementary and Lakeside Elementary have the opportunity to donate their hair to the Pink Heart Fund. The “Ponytail Club” at Denton Creek is sponsored by Kelsey Donohue, a fifth grade teacher who thinks donating hair is a great way for students to give back.
“Somebody approached me about Pink Heart Fund and at that time you only had to have six inches to donate and I think it’s a great way for students to get involved, especially with so many people in our community affected by cancer,” Donohue said.
While this particular club donates the hair they receive to the Pink Heart Fund, other organizations such as Lock of Love and Wigs for Kids are just as willing to accept donations. Each organization requires a certain number of inches to be cut off. Locks of Love require at least ten inches and your hair cannot be layered, while Pink Heart Fund does accepts layered hair and be at least eight inches.
“My hair was always really curly and layered when I was younger and Locks of Love always required it to not be layered and cut 10 inches. Pink Heart Fund changed their requirements to eight inches but they accept layered hair so I thought that would be easier for our girls,” Donohue said.
Girls in high school who have donated in the past think the opportunity the girls from the elementary schools have are incredible. Many of them wish they had the opportunity when they were that age.
“I didn’t get the chance to donate until middle school, but if my hair was long enough or if I had the opportunity in elementary school I would have,” junior Leah Tepera said.
The girls at Denton Creek attend a meeting at the beginning of the year to discuss any fundraisers they may want to do and any other house keeping items. They are also given a form asking how many inches they plan on donating or if they are going to wait until the next year.
“Last year we had a scarf and hat drive throughout the year, but this year I am hoping to have students pay a dollar to wear a hat and then donate the money to the Pink Heart Fund,” Donohue said.
While the over all-number of wigs made is unknown, there has been a total of over 400 inches donated to the Pink Heart Fund through the club.
At the end of the year, Denton Creek puts together an all school assembly to celebrate the girls donating. While the girls are off getting their hair cut and styled by Wade Salon, the rest of the school is waiting for their return to model their new look.
“I’m always really proud of the girls especially when I hand them their certificate for completing the donation,” Donohue said.
The club at Denton Creek is such a success; Donohue hopes it will be around for a long time. The club originally began with 23 girls and has since then had a constant fifteen.
“I love running this club,” Donohue said. “The girls love donating their hair and knowing it’s helping someone else.”
