UPDATE: Benjamin Bos finally got his haircut on June 17. See second picture. Original story follows.
It’s been quite the journey for Benjamin Bos. The Grade 4 student has been growing his hair out for about three years, but now the time has come to chop off his lengthy locks.
At first, 10-year-old Benjamin was just keeping his hair long and his mom, Ashley Bos, made him cut it to chin-length all the time. But in January 2020, he decided to grow it out with two goals in mind: he’d attempt to raise $6,000 and when that was met, he’d donate both his hair and the cash to Wigs for Kids.
He said he was inspired to donate his hair, “just to really help others.”
Ashley said they decided on Wigs for Kids Canada after researching various charities. “Because kids don’t have to pay for the wigs,” said Benjamin.
Wigs for kids is a non-profit that relies on donations “to make durable, custom hairpieces that look just as a child’s natural hair would,” according to wigsforkids.ca.
Benjamin said the last year and a half has been fun for the most part, but he’s also had to deal with a little bugging.
“I’ve been called a girl a lot,” he said with a laugh. “But I don’t really care about it anymore.”
Initially, he was bothered by the jeers, but as his hair grew, so did his tolerance for others that wanted to poke fun at him.
“The teasing got to him at first,” added Ashely. “There were some times he’d get really irritated when people called him a girl.”
But he pressed on toward the goal and along the way he learned a lot about himself. “I feel a lot stronger than before,” Benjamin said. “It doesn’t bug me as much.”
“It’s also given him more self-esteem,” added Ashley.
Not content to just sit back and wait for donations, the Surrey Christian School student sold chocolate bars and did a bottle drive to help fulfill his $6,000 target.
Recently, Benjamin reached that target and has already gone $20 over.
Now he’s looking forward to visiting a barber. “I’m pretty excited to cut my hair because it’s super hot.”
“I’m just really proud of him,” said Ashley. “It’s been a fun to watch my child go through this journey.”
Ashley said the whole process brought a little happiness to all involved during the pandemic.
“Mom and dad are super proud of him. He pushed us,” she added. “We said, ‘you’re not gonna get six grand. That’s a lot to ask of people.’ But a couple fundraisers later, and people were really giving, and it wasn’t that hard to get.”
Benjamin will get his long-awaited haircut June 17.
To donate to Benjamin’s fundraising initiative, click here, or visit canadahelps.org and search for “Benjamin’s Hair Cutting Fundraiser” under the “Fundraise” tab.
editor@cloverdalereporter.com
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