EVERYDAY HERO

Local Locks of Love

Brandon Wehn not only gives a generous gift of love; he grows it. Since 1981, Wigs for Kids has been providing natural human hair wig for children suffering from hair loss due to illness. Founder Jeffrey Paul says, “Because kids look just the way they did before, they feel better about themselves. They look in the mirror and their eyes light up. To see that light in their eyes … that’s priceless.”

Tell us about your hair! Growing up, my hair was always short. In high school, I “grew my hair out” briefly, although not long enough to put in a ponytail. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I started growing it specifically to donate to Wigs For Kids.

How did you hear about Wigs For Kids?

My sister was the first in our family to donate her hair. It’s actually a great story. She had seen that her celebrity crush was giving a lecture at a college a few states away. She tweeted him to ask if he’d be willing to cut her hair if she made the drive. He messaged her and replied, “Bring scissors!” When she had him cut it, he cut off 23”, leaving her with hair that still reached below her waist—it had been past her knees before the cut.

How many times have you cut your hair for this mission?

I’ve made three cuts, since starting this journey, for a combined length of over three feet. Typically, I let it grow to my waist and then cut to my shoulders, yielding about 13 to 15”.

However, this chapter of my life is coming to a close, and I will be cutting off the entirety of my hair for my next donation. And I mean all of it. I plan on going right to a buzz cut. Have you ever met someone who benefited from the program?

I’ve met people indirectly impacted by the program. Relatives or classmates of people who were gifted a wig or know someone who was.

What was your inspiration for donating “wigs”?

That’s kind of a funny part of it. I was going from a buzz cut and growing my hair out with the intention of growing it into dreadlocks. As a point of reference, I was in a reggae band at the time and was the only one without dreads so there was some social pressure.

As my hair began growing out, I was receiving so many compliments on how healthy and full it was. When I told my sister about my plan to dread it, she made a concerted effort to convince me that my hair could serve a higher purpose than a musically-motivated style choice. How can others get involved?

Anyone who can’t donate hair can donate money. The value and work for each wig is about $1,800. Donations pay people who fit the wigs and help find the families that need help, etc. so monetary donations are always appreciated by the company. For anyone who does wish to donate hair, it’s important to visit wigsforkids. com before cutting. They have resources on how to cut and package it so that they get as much usable hair out of each donation as possible. Unfortunately, many people don’t follow the proper steps, and the hair they send in must be thrown away.