Hair Donation

It’s served as a club, a theater and a dining room before, but this morning Sherman Function Hall was transformed into a hair salon for the very first time.
Jen Abidor
Great Cuts haircuttery filled the ordinarily drab room with spray bottles, scissors, blow driers and hair products. However, the cuts were not about glamour; they were a part of the Hair Donation Event run by Brandeis Orthodox Organization. All week long, event coordinator Tamar Rock (’10) and other volunteers have been urging students to donate their locks to women who have lost their hair to cancer.

Just in time for summer, fifty-three charitable young men and women took the risk and donated at least eight inches of their hair. Yuli Almozlino (’11) explained that, “I think that other people need it more than I do”, and Claire Cooper (’11) shared a similar sentiment, “I feel like I can always grow it back, and maybe they can’t.” Both Almozlino and Cooper donated eight inches to the cause.

The donated hair will be sent to Pantene Pro-V’s “Beautiful Length’s Campaign”. The campaign, which is headed by actress Hilary Swank, inspires women to make a difference and donate their hair. Their ultimate goal is to receive one million inches of hair, over 400 of which came from Brandeis students today.

The Hair Donation Event was also a part of Colleges Against Cancer’s “paint the campus purple” week. The week’s goal is to raise awareness about the disease, and to gain support for the “Relay for Life” which is coming up in December. Advocacy Chair Mariah Rich (’10) elaborated on the events of the week, and discussed recent progress made in Massachusetts concerning taxation on cigarettes.

Since this years event was wildly successful, BOO and CAC intend to recreate it for many years to come.



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From the Pantene Pro-V Beautiful Lengths Website:

A woman's healthy hair is an incredible instrument of self-expression,
defining her self-image in a way that almost no other physical attribute
can. So what does hair loss mean to a woman?

Hair loss can strike an especially crippling blow to women fighting cancer.
In fact, a recent study revealed that nearly 60 percent of women consider
hair loss the most dreaded side effect they face when undergoing
chemotherapy. Eight percent of these women are at risk of avoiding
potentially life-saving treatment. Real-hair wigs can cost as much as $1200
and are often only partially covered by health insurance.

Donating your hair is a heartfelt and life-changing act of women's cancer
and breast cancer support.

To fill this need and help people transform their healthy hair into a
heartfelt gift, Pantene partnered with the Entertainment Industry Foundation
(EIF) to launch Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a campaign that encourages people
to grow, cut and donate their hair to create free, real-hair wigs for women
who've lost their hair due to cancer.

In addition to providing free, real-hair wigs for free to women in need,
Pantene has donated more than one million dollars to the EIF's Women's
Cancer Research Fund, a program committed to saving lives by raising funds
and awareness for millions of women and their families affected by cancer.

Donating your hair is a heartfelt and life-changing act of women's cancer
and breast cancer support.