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As a cancer survivor, Stacy Rothberg understands the hardships associated with the lives of children with illnesses. Her sympathy and fervor have helped to keep the annual Locks of Love event a significant part of the Pepperdine community for the past six years.
Rothberg, associate dean of Students for Housing and Community Living, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at 11 months old. Her experience with a life-threatening illness has enabled her to see the importance of an organization like Locks of Love.
“I have been accustomed to being in hospitals and being around kids who have lost their hair,” Rothberg said. “I didn’t lose my hair when I was little, but I see this as a way that I can give back. When I see children without hair, I just know there is a level of self-consciousness, and this is a way to help them look and feel more normal.”
In addition to recruiting students to the cause over the past six years, Rothberg donated her own hair to Locks of Love for the third time.
“Luckily, my hair grows fast,” joked Rothberg. “It does take a bit of an adjustment going from a long hairstyle to one that is 10 inches shorter, but I won’t have to use as much hair care products, so I’ll save some money there.”
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that functions to provide prosthetic hairpieces for underprivileged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss. To date, the organization has helped more than 2,000 children.
The hairpieces are custom-made to fit each child’s head and form a vacuum seal, keeping them firmly in place. The pieces, which retail between $3,500 and $6,000, are made from donated ponytails, making donation events such as Pepperdine’s essential to the operation. The organization proudly boasts a hairpiece that allows children to swim, shower, play sports and, above all, be kids.
The event, which took place Monday, was held at the Salon at Malibu Creek. The Salon’s owner, Shala Minagar, donated the time of three stylists to cut and style participants’ hair.
“We’ve been doing this with Stacy since she started doing it six years ago,” said Pamela Evans, a salon employee. “It is great that we can contribute something to benefit the children.”
Twenty-two participants, primarily Pepperdine students and faculty, turned out to donate at least 10 inches of their hair to Locks of Love. Participants received a T-shirt, a free haircut from a professional stylist and the chance to contribute to the happiness of a child.
The largest percentage of Locks of Love recipients are children living with Alopecia, an autoimmune disorder that causes hair follicles to shut down, resulting in varying degrees of hair loss. There is no known cause or cure for the disorder, which affects 4.7 million people in the United States alone.
The second largest group of children the organization helps is those suffering from cancer. Children with cancer may undergo radiation treatment or chemotherapy, which can cause long-term or permanent hair loss.
In a world full of worthy causes, students see Locks of Love as an exciting opportunity to help others.
“I’ve done this twice,” said freshman Nicolette Morrow. “For me, it’s a way I can help. I feel that there is so much that can be done in the world, and this is a little thing that I can actually do.”
Junior Joyie Lam said she also finds satisfaction in donating her locks to this noble cause.
“I think it’s really cool that you can donate something like hair,” Lam said. “When I was a kid, I loved having my hair really long; it was like a prized possession of mine. The thought of being able to give that away, to give that part of me away, that’s really cool.”
Junior Robbieana Leung, who donated her hair this year, has been waiting to donate to Locks of Love since her freshman year.
“When I first heard about Locks of Love from my sister, I thought it was so great that you could donate your hair,” Leung said. “I thought, ‘Why would you just cut your hair when you could actually do something good with it?’ I wanted to do it my freshman year, but my hair was too short. I’ve been growing it out ever since.”
The Salon at Malibu Creek allowed its patrons with less than 10 inches of hair to spare to make cash donations. The $145 that was brought in will be used by Locks of Love to offset manufacturing costs.
All of those involved said they agreed that, in addition to it being extremely important, Locks of Love is an exciting event to participate in.
“Every year it’s a fun event to do,” Rothberg said. “It’s fun to see the new looks.”
It seems likely that the charity event will remain a part of the Pepperdine community, as many of this year’s participants are passionate, looking forward to continuing their involvement with Locks of Love.
“I was really excited doing it this year,” Lam said. “This is my second time doing it, and I can’t wait to do it a third time.”
The next Locks of Love donation event will be held on campus in the fall.
Submitted 03-27-2008
MALIBU, CA
