When it comes to generosity and caring, the people in the Valley are top-notch in those two categories. There have been many charitable causes that people have raised funds for on a local level that have been a tremendous success. Bowsman School student Letti Zwarich, daughter of Darcy and Chelsea Zwarich, donated her hair in a braid to Angel Hair for Kids.
Angel Hair for Kids is a special program that provides wigs and hair loss solutions to financially disadvantaged children in Canada who lost their hair due to a medical condition or treatment. Letti felt that this was a good charity to support and help other kids.
“Letti was wanting a haircut, quite short, so I mentioned that maybe if she was cutting it all off she could donate it,” said Chelsea Zwarich. “ This opened the door for discussion. We did some research together and she knew instantly that was what she wanted to do.
“My friend’s daughters had donated their hair in the past, so I reached out to her to inquire which organization they had chosen and why. We decided to support this specific organization because it is for children, and each recipient gets a personal appointment at a salon specializing in wigs and hair loss to make it their own. Letti thought that was really fun and special!
“This is the first time she has done this,” said Chelsea. “She’s always had long hair. Letti donated a total of 13 inches; the required length for this organization is 12 inches. Her hair was about 24 inches long before the cut.”
“It feels good to know that I could help another kid get a wig and feel good about themselves,” said Letti.
Many of the staff and students at Bowsman School pooled donations for Loonies for Letti and a total of $387 was collected just at the school. Other community members also responded by giving donations to the worthy cause.
“A total of $1,500 was raised between friends, family, the school and community members,” said Chelsea. “ There were several online donations as well that were made, but we were not notified of the amount of those donations, just that they were given. The money sent along with the hair will go towards making a wig. It takes $2,500 to make just one.
“The support has been far more than anticipated. Friends, family, community members, staff and students from Bowsman School have made some really generous donations. We certainly didn’t expect it to reach this many people, but we’re always amazed at how the community, our family and friends come through!
“We mailed the hair and donations on Friday, March 7, that being the final day for donations,” said Chelsea.
This was such a wonderful experience for Letti and having the community support her in this cause has left an impact on her. She is planning on doing this again.
“Letti would absolutely do this again,” said Chelsea. “She’s already decided as soon as her hair is long enough, she wants to do it again.”