Lawrence High School holds annual Locks of Love event

Lawrence High school students filed into the cafeteria for a special annual after-school event on May 20. They sat down to cut off anywhere from eight to 12 inches of hair to donate to Locks of Love.

The nonprofit Locks of Love was founded in 1997; the group specializes in using donated hair and making wigs for disadvantaged children who are unable to grow hair because of illness or other medical reasons. Lawrence High has hosted the event for roughly 15 years. It is held in memory of Gail Schlesinger, a former teacher at the school who died from ovarian cancer in 2004.

Family and consumer science teacher Ruth Cohen, a Lawrence teacher for more than 30 years, runs the event. A labor of love for the educator who retired last year, and now works part-time for the district. “You could feel the ‘love’ in the room for this event,” she said, adding she asked to continue running the event even after retirement. “These kids drive me to continue and not want to fully retire.”

Cohen also serves as the adviser of the high school’s Future Homemakers of America Club. The club focuses on community service and donating its time to different organizations. The club has organized a safe trick-or-treating event, Thanksgiving turkey drives, toy drives, fundraising for ALS and the annual schoolwide ALS walk in May.

“It’s a feel-good event for everyone,” she said, referring to the Locks of Love. “We don’t know how many people are coming every year. It could be anywhere from five to 20.” This year, there were five girls who donated, any age ranging from elementary school students to alumni were invited to donate.

Cutting the hair this year was hair stylist Joanne Cossack of Carmichaels hair salon in Cedarhurst. Civic duty inspired her volunteer participation. “My sons attended Lawrence School District and even though they graduated, I try to stay involved with the community as much as I can,” she said. “It’s huge for a teenage girl to make the decision to cut some of their hair off.”

Ninth-grader Mia Mendoza was the first person to donate. She explained went propelled her decision. “What if my future children needed it,” she said. “Whatever you give comes back to you and I wanted to do more.”

Katelyn Collado, a 10th-grader who donated said she did for those who are battling cancer. “It’s a great way to connect with people who have cancer one-on-one,” she said. “I know people who have cancer and I wanted to do it for them.”

Junior Brittany Bugtai is the FHA’s president, she noted her desire to help. “I want to give back to people who don’t have hair,” she said. “People should go for it since it’s a nice thing you get to do for others.”

More information on Locks of Love can be found at: https://locksoflove.org.