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Mother, daughters share 'Locks of Love' for charity

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams
  • 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. --  Five years ago, she watched a documentary that touched her heart. Today, she and her two daughters are hoping to touch lives.

Monique, wife of Tech. Sgt. Bruce McCause, 20th Component Maintenance Squadron, and two of her daughters, Tenette, 15, and Bethany, 13, decided to grow their hair long, only to cut it off and donate it to Locks of Love. Their hair will eventually be made into hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada with hair loss due to long-term medical care, such as cancer treatments.

“The documentary was so emotional,” Mrs. McCause said. “I decided that’s what I wanted to do. It took three years for my hair to grow out long enough.” The minimum amount of hair Locks of Love, a non-profit organization, accepts is 10 inches from tip-to-tip.

“I wanted to get (my hair) cut,” Tenette said. “Mom told me, ‘You can’t cut it until it’s 10 inches.’ Then it was 11, then 12 … it ended being 15 and a half inches by the time we cut it.”

Tenette and her mom cut their hair two years ago, but decided to wait a little while longer before sending theirs in to Locks of Love.

“We were going to send (our hair) in, but Bethany wanted to join us,” Mrs. McCause said.

Bethany’s time came June 2. In their living room, with her hair prepped for cutting in a long pony tail, she smiled as her mom snipped the 18-inch pony tail. It was her first haircut -- ever. She laughed and smiled as she exclaimed how different her head felt -- “Light!”

Locks for Love requests donated hair braided or bundled in a pony tail, in a plastic bag and mailed in a padded envelope.

We will write notes to the unknown recipients and include those in the envelope with the hair, Mrs. McCause said. I don’t know if we will hear anything back from them, but it’s nice to know our hair is going to a good cause.