Kindness ~ Beautiful Ways To #Donate2Create

I’ve recently returned from a remarkable afternoon in Toronto.  It started out like many others visits to the city.   Spotting the iconic CN Tower, a stroll through some of the trendiest shops in Yorkville and indulging in an overpriced coffee as I window shopped my way down Bloor Street.  It ended with me having to do the rapid eye blink, reach for the tissue and re-apply my so called water proof mascara.  How did I go from bright sunny shopping to crocodile tears?  Kindness.  Acts of kindness shown and shared in a bustling hair salon in downtown Toronto.

November 12th was National Donate Your Hair Day, and I had the honour of attending an event hosted at Bang Salon with Pantene.  Throughout the day, 56 different men, women, and children visited the salon to donate their hair to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Program.  This remarkable program is a partnership between Pantene, the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Canadian Cancer Society (CCS). These organizations are committed to saving lives from cancer and improving the quality of life for people facing the disease.  The hair donations made that afternoon will be turned into real hair wigs.  Wigs that will help women who are battling cancer feel like themselves again. For the many people that don’t meet the hair requirements, you can still contribute with a monetary donation to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Fund at www.Donate2Create.ca. 100% of the money donated will go directly to the creation of a real hair wig for someone in need. This North American program which began in 2006, has created and then donated more than 46,000 wigs to the CCS and ACS who distribute these wigs to women in need for free.

The feeling in the salon was electric.  Every client that was walking through that door was there for the same reason, to pay it forward.  To #donate2create.  The salon hummed along with excitement powered by the stylists giving their time, and donors ready and willing to cut their hair for an incredible cause.  As I watched the beautiful donors walk through the door I was blown away by their reasons for donating.  Some were there because their lives had been touched by cancer, some because they had heard about the program from a friend and knew they could help, others came with girlfriends and family members to donate together.  There were entire families donating together and children fueled by their own passion to donate.

 

This little tyke…not only did she donate her hair, she let me help with her hair cut!  She mugged for the camera, and sat trusting in the chair as I brandished the stylist’s scissors and made the first magical cut that would transform her hair into a stylish bob, and her pony tail into a real hair wig.  What an incredible gift.  For her, and for me.

We discussed how surprised her school friends were going to be on Monday.  What an astounding gift she was giving someone.  I told her how proud I was of her while her Mama beamed from behind me.  (Thanks to her Mom for letting me play stylist!)

*Photo Credits to Arthur Mola

While at the salon I also had the pleasure of interviewing Kim Rossi, Major Gifts Manager at the Canadian Cancer Society, and hearing some of her tales of kindness and hope.  She shared that a real hair wig can cost a woman up to $1,200, an expense and task that adds to the list of worries in an already difficult time. She also took the time to share the story of Roseanne.

Roseanne Venables Johnson, a 53 year-old women who has donated her hair over ten times, now finds herself on the receiving end. Cancer had touched her life in many different ways; losing a mother in 2013 to pancreatic cancer and a cousin in 2010 to breast cancer, she supported Pantene Beautiful Lengths and various organizations by donating her hair throughout the years. Diagnosed with ATypical Ovarian Cancer in April 2016, Roseanne now found herself a receiver of someone else’s donation. Through Pantene’s generous donations to the Cancer Society, she was able to receive a wig that closely matched her natural hair and feels like “[her] old self again.”

 

For Roseanne, a full circle moment.

During my time at Pantene Beautiful Lengths Event, I had the opportunity to interview Justin German, the owner of Bang Salon.

As Pantene’s Consulting Stylist, Justin has been involved with this program for 10 years.   Justin has these tips for us should you ever wish to donate:

• Keep your hair healthy using Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner.
• While you are growing your hair out, go to your stylist for the occasional small trim.  This will help to keep your hair healthier and stop breakage.
• Hair must be 8 inches or longer.
• Your hair must not be chemically treated.
• Hair must not contain more than 5% grey.
• Stylists ask that you come in with your hair washed and dried.
• Refer to the www.BeautifulLengths.ca website for tips.

Even if you didn’t donate at this years National Donate Your Hair Day you can still make an appointment, at your own cost, to donate and send in your hair.  Details can again be found on the Pantene Beautiful Lengths Website.

If you don’t meet the donation requirements and are unable to donate your hair, you can still contribute to this cause by making a monetary donation at Pantene Beautiful Lengths Fund.  100% of the money you donate will go directly to the creation of a real hair wig for someone in need.  Your monetary donation is needed and will make a difference in the life of someone affected by cancer.

As hair was tied up into pony tails to be donated, people chatted about length, colour, style and cut, the tone remained joyous and uplifting.  Amazing things were happening on National Donate Your Hair Day.  56 different appointments were made that day and so many lives will change thanks to those generous donors.   I couldn’t have been prouder to have been a very small part of it.

Disclosure: I have partnered up with Pantene Beautiful Lengths for this partnership. As always, my opinions are 100% my own and I only partner with programs I love, prior to being contacted.