A Richmond-based children’s charity is still accepting hair donations and is still making real wigs for kids.
Wigs for Kids, which has its office in Steveston, is having to get the word out about the donations after the unconnected Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) announced it wasn’t accepting human hair donations as of Dec. 31 last year.
The CCS said synthetic wigs – made for patients fighting cancer and subsequent hair loss – are so advanced these days that the demand for real hair wigs has dropped off.
Unfortunately, donations of hair to Wigs for Kids has also dropped off dramatically since the CCS decision, with many people believing the two organizations are connected.
“People seem to think we are part of the (CCS) and we are not,” said Wigs for Kids’ Bev Friesen.
“Since the CCS announcement, we’ve seen a huge drop-off in hair donations, about 70 to 75 per cent, and we’re getting people phoning us asking where they can donate their hair if we’re not taking it anymore?”
Friesen said her charity desperately needs the real hair as, “when we give it to our wig-maker, we only have to pay $800 for a $2,500 human hair wig.
“Kids still like to be able to style their wigs with irons and stuff like that; you can’t do that with synthetic wigs.”
Anyone wanting to donate to Wigs for Kids or is thinking about holding a fundraiser can go online to WigsForKidsBC.com
