Nine-year-old gives locks of love

Published: August 22, 2006 | 4605th good news item since 2003

When it came time for nine-year-old Domonique Castaneda to consider a new hairdo for the summer, she surprised her parents by wanting her long hair cut short.

“Do you remember when we did that…?” she asked mom and dad John and Tracy Castaneda.

The Mt. Taylor Elementary student meant something that happened about six years ago, when she was around three years old, said John Castaneda, who is a corporal in the Grants Police Department. “She wanted it shorter than we expected and to go through Locks of Love,” said her father.

He explained that when Domonique was almost too young to remember, her older sister Shanise cut her hair short and donated her tresses to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that makes hairpieces for children suffering long-term medical hair loss. He said he and Domonique’s mother were surprised she remembered, but they both support her decision and the Locks of Love project.

According to the Locks of Love webpage at www.locksoflove.org, donated hair is used to make free or sliding scale hairpieces for economically disadvantaged youth. Although hairpieces are provided for qualifying children with any kind of medical hair loss, most of the clients served by the organization suffer from a disease called alopecia areata, for which there is no known cure or cause.

The Web site states that anyone of any age or hair color may donate hair, but the majority of donations come from kids trying to help other kids. Hair to be donated must be at least 10 inches long, bound in either a braid or pony tail and packaged in plastic and a padded envelope for shipping. Castaneda said some hairdressers can help with cutting and getting donations submitted. A donation form and more details are available on the organization’s web site, which has a gallery of photos of youths-before and after getting their hairpieces.

Published in Charity, Kids & Teens, Locks of Love
See also: www.cibolabeacon.com