8 p.m.: Brothers donate hair to needy causes

By Scott L. Miley

August 14, 2008 08:03 pm

— ANDERSON — Sonny, Sterling and Shiloh Thompson gave away a little bit of themselves Thursday to help kids and animals.
The brothers each donated long strands of hair to two organizations, one that helps children who have lost hair due to illness and another that uses clippings to soak up oil spills.
“I’m going to donate my hair to kids who don’t have any hair because I want them to feel good and be able to have hair too,” said Sonny, 8.
His hair was the longest, grown over two years to about 12 inches. That was just long enough to qualify as a donation to Wigs for Kids, which assists children who lose their hair primarily due to chemotherapy or the scalp condition known as alopecia.
“Self-esteem is probably the biggest value because these kids have enough to worry about,” said Liz Ferro, executive director of Wigs for Kids in Westlake, Ohio. “They don’t need to worry about their appearance. There’s a lot of studies that show the way they feel about themselves directly affects their healing abilities.”
Her organization sends donated ponytails to China where they are hand-sewn into wigs. It takes 15 to 20 ponytails to make one wig.
The Thompson boys — minus Schuyler, 11, whose hair wasn’t long enough — were shorn free of charge at Lookworthy, 1615 E. 53rd St., by stylist Jacki Grimaldi.
Sonny was the first of the Thompson brothers to decide to donate, said his mom, Angela. The family searched the Internet for organizations that give wigs or hair products away without charge to the recipient.
After Sonny’s haircut, he said, “I feel different.”
He won’t have to use conditioner on his hair; there won’t be tangles when he combs it and his neck will feel cooler, noted his mother. The boys’ dad, Steve, operates the Critter Junction program at Mounds State Park that displays animals at libraries and schools.
His job influenced Sterling, 10, and Shiloh, 3, who donated hair to Matter of Trust, which makes absorbent pads that soak up oil from spills. The organization also makes brooms — looking like socks with hair in them — to stop small spills and wipe animals covered with oil.
The group recently assisted at Hurricane Dolly that hit Texas earlier this year, said Lisa Gautier, co-founder of Matter of Trust in San Francisco.
Hours before the haircut, Sonny was apprehensive about losing his hair. He told his mother that he might want to keep it. But, his mother said, he decided, “No, I think other kids will need it.”
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Many of the following organizations have ties with area salons who are willing to send the hair for donors. Otherwise, donors need to follow strict rules including minimum hair lengths and tightly binding ponytails. Gray hair is also acceptable for some.
— Wigs for Kids
www.wigsforkids.org
Phone: (440) 333-4433
Westlake, Ohio
Provides wigs for children who lose their hair, whether as a result of medical treatments, health conditions, or burn accidents, among others.
— Matter of Trust
www.matteroftrust.org
Phone: (415) 242-6041
San Francisco, Calif.
Hair clippings are used to create mats that soak up oil spills.
— Locks of Love
www.locksoflove.org
Phone: (561) 963-1677
Lake Worth, Fla.
Provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the U.S. and Canada under the age of 18 who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

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