BURGETTSTOWN – Heaven hair salon will hold its ninth-annual Locks of Love fundraising event, beginning at 11 a.m., April 12 at the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse located on state Route 18.
The event will include hair-cutting, massage therapy, a buffet, live musical entertainment, a cash bar, drawings and a Chinese auction.
The event is hosted by heaven co-owners and mother-daughter team JoAnn Alexy and April Alexy.
JoAnn Alexy was recently at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where she was accompanying heaven mascot Harry on his rounds as a therapy dog, when she met a family whose child was ill and in need of a wig.
“I was a Children’s, and I was talking to a doctor and I mentioned we were doing this with Locks of Love,” she said. “He said he knew someone who was in need and took me straight to the room and introduced me to the family. I got their information so we can work with them directly. It was humbling to know I was in the right place at the right time for them. It is devastating for a child to be going through (a long-term illness) and to lose their hair as well. We can’t cure cancer, but we can do something to help with their self-esteem.”
Over the past eight years, the event has raised more than $18,000 and garnered 176 ponytails for Locks of Love. A wig costs around $3,500 to make or requires between six and 10 ponytails, meaning the event has helped in the distribution of at least 23 wigs.
Those donating ponytails of 10 inches or longer will receive a free hair cut. The only requirements for donating hair is it must not be bleached. Grey hair is accepted, and men, women and children are welcome to donate. All those who are not donating a ponytail pay a $10 cover charge, which will entitle them either to a hair cut or a massage.
Stylists will be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 11 local stylists are donating their time to the cause. Cuts will be given on a first-come, first-cut basis. Several massage therapists will be available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event will be child-friendly, with the Easter Bunny available for pictures from noon to 4 p.m. Those wanting pictures are welcome to bring their own cameras.
Those children 8 and under arriving at the event between noon and 4 p.m. will have a special cover charge of $5. There also will be a drawing for one of 24 children’s Easter baskets during the event and children’s prize giveaways and games. A large, Easter-themed pinata will be available some time between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
“There is a lot of stuff for the kids to do,” said April Alexy.
The Magic Man, a balloon artist, magician and ventriloquist will be performing between noon and 4 p.m., after Clara Fritch, who was scheduled to perform as Rainbow the Clown, passed away.
“We are very upset at the loss of someone who has done so much for the event in the past,” said JoAnn Alexy. “Rainbow will be greatly missed.”
Fritch was well-known in the community as a performer, also performing as Mrs. Claus and the Easter Bunny at local events.
The buffet will be available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and country band Ruff Creek will take the stage at 8 p.m. Mastro Ice Co. of Pittsburgh will donate an ice sculpture of the Locks of Love logo, which will be on display during the event.
The event also has a large Chinese auction, with more than 50 prizes being donated, including hotel stays at Red Roof Inn, Sheraton and Westin; restaurant gift certificates; gift baskets; and four Pittsburgh Penguins hockey tickets. Tickets are one for $1 or 15 for $10. The Alexys continue to accept prizes at the salon located at 2064 Smith Township State Road. Several of the items are on display at the salon.
There also will be a special drawing for a 39-inch flat screen television, sound bar and wireless headphones. Those entering the drawing will receive a scratch-off ticket which will reveal the cost of their entry donation – anything from free to $20.
“They could get a chance to win this television for free,” said April Alexy.
The event also will include two 50/50 drawings – one in the afternoon and one in the evening – and a money wheel.
The Alexys are looking for have someone who has benefited through the Locks of Love program to speak at the event and talk about how the organization impacted their lives.
Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that provides wigs to children who have lost their own hair because of chronic illness. Locks of Love organized as a nonprofit organization in 1997 under the direction of Madonna Coffman, a retired nurse who developed alopecia in her 20s after receiving a hepatitis vaccination. She was able to recover, but 15 years later, her 4-year-old daughter also developed alopecia and lost her hair. It was at this time Coffman directed all her volunteer efforts toward Locks of Love. The organization has recipients in all 50 states and Canada.
To make a donation toward the Chinese auction or for information, call the salon at (724) 947-7866.