Neighbor to Neighbor: Wiggin’ out at STA

You are calling to set up your next hair appointment and you decide that you will try something new with your hairstyle, maybe some layers or even a bob. Inches will be cut off and the hair that falls to the ground will just be swept to the corner to be thrown away. But what if that hair could be used to create a wig for a girl, just like you, who is suffering from cancer? Seniors Taylor Kramer and Casey Miller can help you with just that.

Kramer and Miller will bring STA Wigs Out, an event in which a group of students will donate their ponytails to create wigs, to St. Teresa’s on April 18.

As part of the Pantene Pro Beautiful Lengths organization, STA will join a number of other schools in the area, such as St. Thomas Aquinas, in donating hair to create wigs for cancer patients. Pantene Pro Beautiful Lengths makes free wigs out of donated hair for cancer patients, especially those who could not afford one from another organization.

On April 18, presentations from survivors and member of the organization are given before the hair of the students is cut. Each student who is donating hair chooses someone who is close to them to cut their hair, adding to the emotional ceremony. According to Kramer, the ceremony is emotional but exciting because the entire student body watches and supports the girls who donate.

Kramer experienced the same feeling last year at St. Thomas Aquinas, where she was chosen by a friend to cut her hair. After the ceremony, Kramer talked to the teacher who had organized the event about bringing it to STA the following year. With the help of STA teacher Dianna Blessen and Principle of Student Affairs Mary Anne Hoecker, Kramer was able to bring the event to STA.

How to get involved:

In order for STA Wigs Out to be a success, students will be needed for planning different aspects of the event. Students will be needed for planning the details of the event and creating t-shirts and video. And of course, students will be needed to donate their hair.

For some girls, their hair is something they could never imagine not having, but for others, this fear is a reality. To get involved with STA Wigs Out in either planning or donating, contact seniors Taylor Kramer or Casey Miller.