Love is in the Hair
Local middle-schooler organizes Locks of Love hair drive
- posted: 09 Oct. 2007
- scrollcampus@byui.edu
“I was walking down the street one time with my friend and this boy started yelling to her, ‘Oooh, who’s your boyfriend?’ It was so embarrassing.”
Amanda Rawlins, a 13-year-old junior high student from Rexburg, was only six years old when her grandmother decided to chop Amanda’s long hair into a cut that she said “made me look like a total boy.” Though initially vowing that she would never cut her hair again, Rawlins changed her mind when she heard about Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children suffering from long-term, medically related hair loss.
“I thought about all those little girls that don’t have hair and how emotional that must be for them,” said Rawlins. “Even though I never lost all my hair, I thought I knew a little of how they must feel, and I wanted to do something for them.”
Because it takes six to 10 ponytails to make a single wig, Rawlins wanted to contribute more than just her own locks. Thus, the idea of a holding a “hair drive” for her Young Women project was conceived. Evan’s Hair College jumped on board with the idea, agreeing to contribute free cuts and styles to donors during the drive.
While at least 10 inches are needed to be used in a hairpiece, shorter amounts of hair can be donated and sold by the company to help offset manufacturing costs, according to the Locks of Love organization.
Appointments can be made by calling Rawlins at 359-7742. The drive will be running Oct. 9-13, from 2 to 5 p.m. Tuesday to Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
“We’ve set a goal to get 50 ponytails,” Rawlins said with a cheerful smile. “I don’t know if we’ll reach it, but I sure hope we do.”
Who knew a bad bowl-cut could generate so much good will? 
