It was morning meeting on Wednesday at the OVS amphitheater when heads frantically turned and eyes focused hard to sneak a glimpse as the hair came off 12 inches at a time.
Two selfless ninth grade girls — Donahi Soriano and Allyanna Westcott — chose that time to snip off long strands of their luxurious black hair to donate to Wigs For Kids, a nonprofit that helps children who suffer hair loss from cancer treatments and other medical issues.
About a month ago, Allyanna had the burning desire to make a difference, deciding to marry her two goals of raising cancer awareness and her personal desire to shave her head.
“I really wanted to make a difference and do something that mattered and cutting off my hair was something I wanted to do and could do,” she said.
Allyanna brought up the idea to her friends to see if anyone was interested in joining her, and Donahi jumped at the chance.
“I thought to myself, ‘It’s just hair,’ ” Donahi said. “If anything they need it more than we do.”
From there the two brought the idea to the OVS community and organized the event with Head Of Student Life Crystal Davis, and together they decided on Wednesday as the date to make the cut.
Leading to the actual hair-cutting event, Ms. Davis gave a beautiful recognition to the girls and took the time to educate the students about the significance of donating hair to this cause.
“Not only have they given an actually piece of themselves, but the short hair is a visible reminder and a badge of what they’ve done,” Ms. Davis said after the event. “Their motivation and pride makes me incredibly proud.”
Once the first snip was snipped the crowd filled with cheers and excitement. Several students helped with the cuts, at first using scissors to lop off long strands and then using electric clippers to shape and shorten until only a shadow of hair remained.
Their next step is to send their cut hair to the Wigs For Kids foundation, where it will be crafted into hairpieces designed to boost the self-image and self-esteem of children who have suffered hair loss.
In addition, Donahi and Allyanna created a Go-Fund-Me for a foundation called Alex’s Lemonade Stand (https://gofund.me/b228e1d6), which raises money for cancer research.
“When the first piece was cut my immediate response was a little sad,” Donahi admitted. “But then I thought about the smiles of the kids who will receive my hair and how my small sacrifice will bring a world of happiness.”
