Before donating to Locks of Love, read NY Times article 'Lather, Rinse, Donate' by Elizabeth Hayt, pub. 9/6/07
I'm very hesitant to post this, but here goes.
I'll start off by saying that I know it's a hot topic, and I'm apologizing in advance if I offend anyone by this. I just think it’s important to know where your donations are going once they leave your possession. I know money and donations are a very touchy subject to get into with family and friends, let alone complete strangers over the internet, so please take this as friendly advice being passed on from a childhood cancer survivor/bride-to-be to her fellow brides-to-be.
Everytime I see someone post about donating their hair to Locks of Love, I wish they had read this NY Times article, 'Lather, Rinse, Donate' by Elizabeth Hayt, published on Sept 6, 2007 before making their decision. Most of the hair donated to LOL gets thrown out or sold, even if it’s in great condition (they sort out all the donated hair and discard what they don’t need). Even the president of the organization, Madonna Coffman, has said this. I can’t post the whole article because of copyright issues. If you log into the NY Times website (free), you can view it. If not, FM me for details.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Lather, Rinse, Donate
By ELIZABETH HAYT
Published: September 6, 2007
If the link won't work, please FM me and I will send you details. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I posted this to Brides Helping Brides back in December when someone asked where she could donate hair.
Here's my repost from 12/29/07:
Please take this as very sincere advice with the best intentions for your donations...
I don't post often and don't want to ruffle any feathers here, but just be completely aware of any organization to which you make donations. I am a cancer survivor, had bone cancer at age 15, and wore a wig for a year and a half back in 1989-1990. My hair has never grown back as thick and full as it was, so I belong to an online hair care message board similar to LIW. I'm also a member of a Long Term Survivor list online and Locks of Love was also a topic there.
Locks of Love was a very hot topic at one point because there have been a lot of problems with this organization. They were in trouble with the Better Business Bureau for many years, and finally have cleaned up their act, but be aware that they DO NOT give wigs to children with cancer. Their target patients are those with alopecia areata, which is permanent. So all the media hype they get about kids with cancer is false advertising. I am a childhood cancer survivor and have verified these facts with cancer advocates.
The New York Times did an article recently on them, and even LOL's founder has said that donating a check to her is easier than hair, since most hair is sold or gets thrown out.
A quote from the article: 'Perhaps they would be less adamant if they could visit Ms. Coffman in the Locks of Love office in Florida. Every day the hanks of hair arrive, filling some 10 postal bins, representing the best intentions of donors, but so much of it destined for the trash.
“A check would be easier for me,” Ms. Coffman said. “But would the donors get out of it what they do? No.”
Please read this story http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Lather, Rinse, Donate
By ELIZABETH HAYT
Published: September 6, 2007
If the link won't work, please FM me and I will send you the article.
Again, I don't want to start trouble here at all, that is not my intention, just when I see someone who has a great heart and wants to help out of the goodness of their heart like this, it saddens me to know what really will happen to your donations.
Thanks for reading, and if you want the article, please FM me for the information.
Carolyn
Posted 12/29/07 6:11 PM
I'll start off by saying that I know it's a hot topic, and I'm apologizing in advance if I offend anyone by this. I just think it’s important to know where your donations are going once they leave your possession. I know money and donations are a very touchy subject to get into with family and friends, let alone complete strangers over the internet, so please take this as friendly advice being passed on from a childhood cancer survivor/bride-to-be to her fellow brides-to-be.
Everytime I see someone post about donating their hair to Locks of Love, I wish they had read this NY Times article, 'Lather, Rinse, Donate' by Elizabeth Hayt, published on Sept 6, 2007 before making their decision. Most of the hair donated to LOL gets thrown out or sold, even if it’s in great condition (they sort out all the donated hair and discard what they don’t need). Even the president of the organization, Madonna Coffman, has said this. I can’t post the whole article because of copyright issues. If you log into the NY Times website (free), you can view it. If not, FM me for details.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Lather, Rinse, Donate
By ELIZABETH HAYT
Published: September 6, 2007
If the link won't work, please FM me and I will send you details. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I posted this to Brides Helping Brides back in December when someone asked where she could donate hair.
Here's my repost from 12/29/07:
Please take this as very sincere advice with the best intentions for your donations...
I don't post often and don't want to ruffle any feathers here, but just be completely aware of any organization to which you make donations. I am a cancer survivor, had bone cancer at age 15, and wore a wig for a year and a half back in 1989-1990. My hair has never grown back as thick and full as it was, so I belong to an online hair care message board similar to LIW. I'm also a member of a Long Term Survivor list online and Locks of Love was also a topic there.
Locks of Love was a very hot topic at one point because there have been a lot of problems with this organization. They were in trouble with the Better Business Bureau for many years, and finally have cleaned up their act, but be aware that they DO NOT give wigs to children with cancer. Their target patients are those with alopecia areata, which is permanent. So all the media hype they get about kids with cancer is false advertising. I am a childhood cancer survivor and have verified these facts with cancer advocates.
The New York Times did an article recently on them, and even LOL's founder has said that donating a check to her is easier than hair, since most hair is sold or gets thrown out.
A quote from the article: 'Perhaps they would be less adamant if they could visit Ms. Coffman in the Locks of Love office in Florida. Every day the hanks of hair arrive, filling some 10 postal bins, representing the best intentions of donors, but so much of it destined for the trash.
“A check would be easier for me,” Ms. Coffman said. “But would the donors get out of it what they do? No.”
Please read this story http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Lather, Rinse, Donate
By ELIZABETH HAYT
Published: September 6, 2007
If the link won't work, please FM me and I will send you the article.
Again, I don't want to start trouble here at all, that is not my intention, just when I see someone who has a great heart and wants to help out of the goodness of their heart like this, it saddens me to know what really will happen to your donations.
Thanks for reading, and if you want the article, please FM me for the information.
Carolyn
Posted 12/29/07 6:11 PM
