What do two 10-year-old fifth grade students at Kingsway Academy have in common? They've cut off 24-inches of their hair between the two of them with one goal in mind -- to provide hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
Catherine Knowles and Skyla Knowles -- cousins and best friends, cut their beautiful almost waist-length hair with the goal of donating their ponytails to Locks of Love to help them meet a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality prosthetics. Most of the children helped by Locks of Love have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cure. The prostheses Locks of Love provide helps to restore the children's self-esteem and their confidence, enabling them to face the world and their peers.
Catherine who told Skyla about the idea of cutting her hair for Locks of Love said it made her feel good to do so. She has donated an 11-inch ponytail.
"I felt good. It teaches me that anyone can help somebody, and that no matter how old you are it can be possible," said Catherine, an honor roll student at Kingsway.
The idea of donating her hair to Locks of Love was initially put to Catherine by her mother, Kelli Knowles.
"We were talking about it, and I said maybe it would help them to have hair, because some of them may never have hair again."
Catherine said when she made the final decision to cut her ponytail, that she was not scared. She said she was happy to sit in the salon chair to have her hair cut.
"I wasn't scared because I knew I was helping someone."
She cut 11-inches of hair from her waist-length hair the week before the new academic year started. She now sports a shoulder length bob that shocked everyone when she returned to school, and had her peers asking her why she cut her "pretty hair". That provided Catherine with the opportunity to talk to her fellow students about her donation, which they then realized was a "good deed".
It was also the first time Catherine had ever cut her blonde hair. She also now finds the shorter hair freeing, because she doesn't have to shampoo all that hair. She says she would do it again.
Skyla, the daughter of Ginamarie Knowles cut a 13-inch ponytail from her hair before Catherine.
"I decided to do it after I was sitting home one day and I watched this girl on television, and she had cancer, and was bald. My mom started bringing it up, and she said do you want to cut it, so then I jumped in the shower, washed my hair and cut it."
Unlike Skyla, Catherine has yet to donate her red-haired ponytail. It is currently on her bureau in front of her mirror where she can always find it. She hopes the ponytail is mailed off soon so that it could make a child happy.
"I've learnt that many kids can be happy by just one little tiny thing," said Catherine.
Kingsway Academy's theme for the last school year was "One Another" which urged students to care for each other, to help each other and be kind to each other. According to Karen Adderley, the school's assistant to the director, Catherine and Skyla cutting their hair was something they did because they thought about caring for each other and being compassionate to others.
Adderley said that Catherine and Skyla's effort also showed that there are many ways that people can be helped. She too admitted to being shocked when she saw them with shorter hair at the beginning of the school year.
"I was shocked when I saw them, and then they told me why they did it," said Adderley. But she said the ability to think outside the box is what Kingsway instills in its students.
"Our theme for this year is 'Purpose in Motion' -- what our purpose is, and putting it in motion. They went ahead and put their purpose into motion in helping others," she said.
The assistant to the school's director said Catherine and Skyla's sacrifice has spurred on another student who now feels that it is something that she too can do.
"I think it brings an awareness for the other students to believe there is something they can do to help as well. And that it's something they can do to, and isn't something they have to pay for, nothing they have to go out of the way for, and that it's just an act of kindness," said Adderley.
The children who will receive Catherine and Skyla's ponytails will be children who have lost more than their hair -- they suffer from a loss of self. Many children have been teased by classmates and/or embarrassed by the attention they receive because of their hair loss. They often will withdraw from normal childhood activities. And while wearing a hairpiece is certainly not a cure for these children, Locks of Love says it can help restore some of the normalcy to children's everyday lives that most people take for granted.
Catherine and Skyla's hair will be used in hair prostheses that are custom-made for children from the donated ponytails. The prostheses are provided to children free on a sliding scale, based on financial need.
Anyone can donate to Locks of Love as long as guidelines are followed. Donors are encouraged to go to a salon they are familiar with to ensure their comfort when donating. Hair that is colored or permed is acceptable; hair cut years ago is usable if it has been stored in a ponytail or braid.
Hair that is not acceptable is hair that has been bleached, due to a chemical reaction that occurs during the manufacturing process; hair that is swept off of the floor, because it was not bundled into a ponytail or braid; hair that is shaved off and not in a ponytail or braid is not usable (if shaving the head, donors are encouraged to divide hair into multiple ponytails to cut off); dreadlocks are not accepted.
Ten inches measured tip to tip is the minimum length used for a hairpiece. The hair must be in a ponytail or braid before it is cut. Hair must be clean and completely dry before it is mailed in. The ponytail or braid must be placed inside a plastic bag, and then the inside of an envelope and mailed to Locks of Love.
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