Locks of LoveCasondra Ybarra

About Locks of Love

When Locks of Love first began, it was connected with a for-profit wig retailer. With a new installation of a volunteer Board of Directors, the charity began operating as an entity unto itself under its bylaws and separated from the for-profit retailer. This initiative was spearheaded by Madonna Coffman who developed alopecia after receiving a hepatitis vaccination. It was difficult to deal with her hair loss, but her daughter's hair loss was ten times harder. It was at that time that she took on Locks of Love as a full time volunteer cheered on by her daughter’s recovery as her inspiration.

Since the beginning, the charity has received a great deal of support by both the media and its volunteers throughout the country. Locks of Love has been featured or mentioned on television shows and in national publications.

www.locksoflove.org

Mission & Vision

Locks of Love mission is to return a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by utilizing donated ponytails to provide the highest quality hair prosthetics to financially disadvantaged children. The children receive hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, based on financial need.

www.locksoflove.org

Inputs

Locks of Love is made up with a board of directors, key staff, and volunteers all working together to help Locks of Love work efficiently.

Locks of Love relies on donations from the general public, foundations and civic groups:•Sponsors that make a significant financial or-in-kind contribution•Hair to produce wigs•Money to purchase the wigs

Those donations help to pay for the production of the hairpieces, as well as operational and administrative costs, such as:•Long-distance telephone service•Website maintenance •Postage, shipping, printing materials

Outputs

Locks of Love has aggrandized since they first started, they now have:•Recipients in all 50 states and Canada•The age group caters to are 21 years old and under•Helped over 2,000 children and their families!

Through the Locks of Love organization they are able to distribute information in many ways:•People can see what Locks of Love is about through their website•Locks of Love allots pamphlets explaining how a person or group can get involved•They also have a phone number people can call to receive more information

Process

Locks of Love donates their hair pieces based on three different categories that are explicated as follows:

A Solution for Long Term or Permanent Hair Loss•The vacuum fit can only function when there is total hair loss and no re-growth occurring. Children with long term or permanent hair loss who have not experienced total hair loss may shave any existing hair so they can begin the molding process.

A Solution for Short Term Hair Loss•In cases where children are experiencing short term hair loss, usually due to chemotherapy treatments. These recipients would receive a synthetic hairpiece that are made especially for children and can be provided quickly and worn during re-growth.

Children Under Age Six•They provide a sort of temporary synthetic hairpiece because children will outgrow their custom vacuum fitted hairpiece quicker then the older children.

www.locksoflove.org

Outcomes

Locks of Love helps provide a foundation on which children can regain their happy disposition and begin to rebuild their self-esteem. By providing a prostheses it helps to restore some of the normalcy to their everyday lives. The prostheses allows the children to address other needs rather then worrying about their appearance. Children began to develop a sense of security which allows them to get back their self confidence and be kids again.

Community Need

Locks of Love meets a unique need for children by using donated hair to create the highest quality hair prosthetics.

There are several needs that Locks of Love fulfills because most wigs sold by retailers are made to fit adult heads which are too big for children to wear.

They also use of tape or glue to keep them from falling off, and these adhesives can burn or irritate the scalp and synthetic wigs can mat and frizz with excessive styling.

Moreover, the styles of adult wigs that are available are not age-appropriate for some of these young children.

www.locksoflove.org

Organizational ConnectionShuttleworth

1. The idea that it is people who change the world for the better

2. That if we are rigorously open about ideas and practices, more people will copy them and make the world a better place in a shorter period of time.

Locks of Love

1. Locks of Love strives to increase self esteem in children who have lost their hair due to a medical illness. Thereby bettering the world for giving children back their confidence one wig at a time.

2. Locks of Love makes themselves known through all types of media so people can be aware of this issue and get involved themselves by donating hair/money or volunteering. There as people will contribute to the issue while making the world a better place along with Locks of Love.

3. We provide funding for dynamic leaders who are at the forefront of social change. We identify amazing people.

4. We are looking for social innovators who are helping to change the world for the better.

3. Locks of Love is designed to create social change by making it more acceptable for children who have a medical illness to wear a wig to increase their self esteem.

4. Locks of Love has became a social innovator by allowing financially disadvantaged children to be able to have a wig even if they can not afford one themselves. Locks of Love is making wigs not only something for adults but also something for children.

Shuttleworth Locks of Love

Organizational Connection

Critical Action

• Locks of Love promotes critical action by using meaningful actions to developing a sense of urgency when providing children with wigs to improve their self esteem.

• Locks of Love also inserts informed action by having pamphlets to pass out, articles published in magazines, and also segments on TV shows.

• To be involved with Locks of Love is to be humble and have integrity because when dealing with this type of organization it shows you that children have lost their self confidence along with their hair and you are able to give it back to them.

• Also for the participants who are receiving the wigs that have to be courageous because some times they might be judges by their hair loss

Critical Thinking

How you can help

Donate Hair and mail it to 234 Southern Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33405-2701

Hold your own Locks of Love event or Become a Particpating Salon!

You can make a donation via check or credit card www.locksoflove.org

Jordann Jewelry will donate 25% of the purchase price for every necklace and bracelet sold.

Albertsons has agreed to donate 1% of the first $50,000 spent and 5% on everything over to Locks of Love when shoppers use their Locks of Love Community Partners key tag

Goodsearch.com donates a penny to every time you search using it

Post a banner on your website that links your page to the Locks of Love website

Personal Connection

Cancer is very common in my family and I have seen the effects it has on a person and their family. Losing ones hair is a hard reality most people who are battling cancer or other illnesses have to deal with. I understand that losing your hair is like a loss of identity and it ruins a persons self esteem tremendously. Locks of Love is a great organization that allows children to be able to have a wig if they can not afford it. It is amazing to see how bright a person becomes once they have their hair back even if it is a wig.

Thank You