Elizabeth Atchison was a girl of few words last Thursday, but the shy six-year-old’s efforts to help other children spoke volumes.
After six years with barely a trim to her fair-coloured hair, the youngster let her mom cut 17 inches off of her locks so that other children may have hair.
“She wanted to give somebody her hair for Christmas,” Elizabeth’s mom, Christina explained.
Elizabeth got the idea from her mom, who has donated her hair to charity before – three times, in fact.
Based in Ontario, A Child’s Voice Foundation’s Angel Hair for Kids program provides wigs for children who have lost their hair due to a medical condition or treatment, whose families are struggling financially.
“I always had long hair and when I decided I wanted it short, I knew somebody who donated her hair – I didn’t know you could do that,” Christina said.
“I thought, what a great idea.”
Elizabeth, a student at Langley Meadows Community School, announced her decision to follow suit a year ago.
Thursday, at The Cut salon in South Surrey where Christina works, she performed her mom’s fourth charity trim – cutting off 13” – before climbing into the stylist’s chair herself.
“I’m so proud of you,” Christina told a beaming, short-haired Elizabeth moments later.
According to the A Child’s Voice Foundation’s website, it takes 10-12 ponytails to make one wig, at a cost of $800 to $1,000.
For more information, visit www.acvf.ca