Eleanor Roosevelt said that “since you get more joy out of giving joy to others, you should put a good deal of thought into the happiness that you are able to give.”
My girls did just that this holiday season putting a lot of thought into the decision to make a special donation to those in need. Both of them have beautiful, naturally blonde locks, often admired by others. They thought about how wonderful it is to have nice hair and they decided to share it.
A few months ago my daughter Lea sent me a text, telling me that she had decided to cut her long blonde hair and donate it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.
Beautiful Lengths is a partnership between Pantene and the American Cancer Society. Thanks to people who are willing to donate hair, Beautiful Lengths makes thousands of free, real-hair wigs and give them to women living with cancer. The wigs are distributed through select American Cancer Society wig banks across the country.
Lea is 22 years old and a recent college graduate. This is the second time she has donated her hair. When our 11-year-old daughter Claire heard that Lea was going to donate her hair again she thought about it, talked about it and ultimately decided to join in the fun. The two girls went to the in downtown Los Gatos on a recent Saturday and each had eight-and-half inches trimmed off by stylist Amy Bowser.
The blonde ponytails were placed in a ziplock bag and a padded envelope and then mailed to Beautiful Lengths.
We are proud of our girls for their willingness to share this beautiful asset with others and we all hope that this donation brings some happiness to people who need it.
If you would like to donate to Beautiful Lengths, you must follow specific directions. You need to be willing to trim at least eight inches. If you have wavy or curly hair, you should measure your hair when it is straight. Hair must be free of permanent color, bleach or other chemical treatments such as Japanese straightening. Vegetable dyes, semi-permanent dyes and rinses are acceptable, but “virgin” hair is preferred.
Another well-known organization that does the same thing is Locks of Love, a public, non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis. Hair must measure a minimum of 10 inches for Locks of Love.
As we move through the holiday season, we hope that this story helps to encourage others to give of themselves. We hope that this encourages others to give something that is dear to them and give it freely to others who really need it.
From our family to yours, we wish you a joyous holiday season.
