Four stylists from Grandville’s Strands Hair Salon donated their time to cut hair at Grand Valley State University’s Kirkhof Center on March 20 for Make-A-Wish’s Second Annual Haircut-A-Thon. Participants were asked to donate 10 inches or more of their hair to Locks of Love, an organization that provides hairpieces to children who have medical hair loss from any diagnosis.

Contributors who may not have had that much hair to donate were asked to give a monetary donation that goes to the Make-A-Wish foundation, which grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

“Make a Wish is important because it gives hope to children when they need it most, and even if they are in poor health they deserve to feel like they can be anything and do anything they want,” Make-A-Wish Club member Britta Cicansky said.

Haircut-A-Thon was created by Cicansky last year after her friend Adrienne Daniels inspired her to join GVSU’s Make-A-Wish organization. Cicansky wanted to donate her hair to Locks of Love again and thought of how there are events where groups of people come together and all cut their hair for the cause.

Cicansky thought it would be a great idea for a possible Make-A-Wish fundraiser.

“Last year when I came up with this idea, I was getting my hair done and thinking about how Make-a-Wish is helping children with conditions and so is Locks of Love and they both have the same general basis of helping those who need a little uplifting so I wanted to find a way to help with both and combined the event,” Cicansky said.

She met with other members of the organization and they loved the idea and from there a small committee was created to plan the event. Emma Linne, the previous Secretary of Haircut-A-Thon, got ahold of Strands Hair Salon, who wanted to be involved and also donated hair products to be given away.

“I, as a female, know how much a part of us our hair is and I couldn’t imagine losing it, so I think that to give someone who has lost so much a little extra confidence is so important,” Cicansky said. “I know it’s not the same as their own hair but anything to make them feel as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside is important.”

The Make-A-Wish organization also does bake sales, volunteers for Gilda’s Club, Kids Food Basket, and more, but the Haircut-A-Thon is quickly becoming a larger fundraiser for the group to help disadvantaged children with health-threatening medical conditions.

“Make-A-Wish Foundation and Locks of Love are great organizations that help a lot of people,” Haley McLean said.

Two ponytails, at least 20 inches of hair, were cut-off to be donated to the Locks of Love foundation along with $121 in monetary donations to be given to the Make-A-Wish foundation of Michigan.

“[They’re] both great causes that help children feel happiness during hard times,” Cicansky said. “These children go through more than most of us can imagine so we should try to make their lives better.”

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