MINT HILL, NC – Charlotte Independence High School teacher Tamara Babulski has always wanted to make a difference in the lives of children with cancer.
The World History and AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teacher is a compassionate and active member of the Philadelphia Presbyterian Church of Mint Hill. The church supports Claire’s Army, a cancer survivor network whose aim is “to act as God’s hands and feet for families fighting childhood cancer by supporting their daily responsibilities, allowing them to put time and focus on their child.” The stories of the children supported by Claire’s Army bravely battling cancer touched Tamara’s heart, and when she heard that many children needed wigs to lift their spirits, she knew how she would help. So Tamara decided to grow out her hair and donate it to the non-profit foundation Children With Hair Loss.
Children With Hair Loss creates human hair wigs for kids battling cancer. Donors make a ponytail of their cut hair, which they then send to the Children With Hair Loss nonprofit foundation, which is used to create human hair wigs for children up to age 18. Children With Hair Loss will take donations as short as 8 inches from men, women, or children, but they are currently in need of longer ponytails if possible to make long hair wigs.
Tamara’s mission was to grow out her hair as long as possible, and she grew her hair down to her tailbone before having it cut and colored on January 2, 2023. Her donated ponytail was 14 inches long. She even involved her students in the process, having them help her choose her new hair color—a fun combination of bright purple and pink fairy hair! It took her almost a year to grow out her hair, but to do it with a purpose, to donate it to a child in need, made the experience especially worthwhile.
Children With Hair Loss is stationed in Michigan, where they make the wigs at no cost to children and young adults who face medically-related hair loss due to cancer treatments, alopecia, trichotillomania, burns, injuries, or other medical conditions. It is a simple process to donate your hair: there is an online form for you to fill out, then you send the completed form and the ponytail (sealed in a plastic bag) to their Michigan headquarters. Children With Hair Loss accepts all types of hair, even gray hair, which can be dyed various colors. In place of donating hair, the nonprofit also takes monetary donations to defray the cost of wigs for their extraordinary clients.
Ms. Babulski inspired several other teachers at Independence High School to follow suit and donate their hair. Growing out your hair and donating it to a worthy cause can be a fun way to give back to the community—she encourages people to form teams to see who can grow their hair the longest. Tamara highly recommends that community groups, schools, and families support Children With Hair Loss as a service project, stating, “The joy that you get knowing that you helped a child in need is unbelievable!”
For more information on Children With Hair Loss, please visit their Facebook page at Children With Hair Loss.
