Many athletes spend a small fortune fixing up their hair to look just right.
Troy Polamalu insured his hair for $1 million this year.
Ron Artest’s haircut routinely outshines his on-court performance, and even the Los Angeles Dodgers pay a hairstylist
$150,000 to trim their locks during the work week.
But the Butler volleyball team made money for the Locks of Love foundation during their match against Wright State
last week by having some players, coaches and fans donate inches of hair to the foundation.
The Bulldogs won the match 3-1 to remain undefeated in the Horizon League, but they also made a big impact after the match when four players and two coaches donated before or after the match.
Locks of Love is an organization that provides wigs to children with long-term hair loss from any diagnosis. Founded
in 1997, the foundation has expanded rapidly and now has a presence in all 50 states.
After hair is donated to the foundation it is made into wigs that are distributed to children who are suffering from cancer or other forms of hair loss and are in financial need.
“It’s a good cause because it’s helping kids and can put a smile on their face,” senior libero Katie Daprile said.
SuperCuts, who helped sponsor the event along with Kenra Hair Products, had a special hair cutting station set up next to the court and trimmed all the donors’ hair for free.
Seventeen people donated over 140 inches of hair in total.
Buzz Bodell was the top donor, giving 15 inches of his hair.
“It was great to raise awareness because I didn’t even know you could donate hair,” Butler graduate student Becky
Howarth said.
Howarth didn’t have quite enough hair to donate but still got her hair cut for the cause.
“It’s for a good cause, and it’s great they came onto campus because some students wouldn’t be able to go out to donate,” Howarth said.
The promotion was the brainchild of Dawn Jones, the director of volleyball operations, who had previously been involved with Locks of Love while she lived in Florida.
After persuading the team to have a promotional night, Jones convinced second assistant coach Nina Inic and senior
outside Susan Lester to help with the event by donating their own hair.
After the match, three more players, Daprile, senior outside Jessie Wolfe and freshman outside Maureen Nesbit, decided to donate as well.
“It’s a great cause that benefits the kids,” Inic said. “The whole team felt good about [the promotion]. Even a couple
of players that weren’t planning on donating changed their mind after seeing everyone else doing it.”
There was also a team competition for the longest donation, which was won by Nesbit and Jones. Both women gave 12 inches each.
Lester and Inic each gave 10 inches, Daprile gave 8.5 inches and Wolfe gave five inches. In total, the team, along with
11 other individuals, donated 140 inches to the foundation.
Along with hair donations, the team also collected cash donations from many of the people who did not have long enough hair to donate but still wanted to help with the cause.
The Bulldogs will be having more promotional nights throughout the rest of the season, including a “Pink Out” for Sisters in the Sport, a Pound Puppy clinic night and a Samaritan’s Feet rally.
