Airman donates hair to Locks of Love Published Aug. 22, 2005 By Chalmarie Bridges 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron EIELSON AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska (AFPN) -- Eielson has many volunteers who give of themselves for the benefit of others. However, not many can say they committed themselves and prepared for more than a year before they could give their gift. Staff Sgt. Amanda Lamar, a unit deployment manager for the 354th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, grew her hair for about two years to donate a minimum of 10 inches to Locks of Love. Sergeant Lamar knows how important it is to have good “top cover.” “I sympathize with those who aren’t afforded what a lot of us take for granted -- a healthy head of hair,” Sergeant Lamar said. Over the past year, she continued to grow it out even though it had become heavy on her head. “I became accustomed to wearing my hair in a bun,” she said. “But during the last six months, my hair had become almost unbearable as it got closer to the needed 10 inches.” Locks of Love is a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 with medical hair loss. These custom-fitted hair prosthetics are provided free of charge, or on a sliding scale, to children whose families meet the Locks of Love guidelines. After a couple of especially long days of wearing her ponytail, Sergeant Lamar seriously considered lightening her load. “I came close, but didn’t cut it partly (because of) my hairdresser, Jacque, from a local hair salon,” Sergeant Lamar said. “Jacque is the only person allowed to touch my hair, and she knew full well of my desire to fulfill my wish of helping a financially strapped ill child in need of hair.” But she persevered, and even surpassed the minimum length requirement to grow an 11-inch ponytail. “I love my short hair, and I like knowing that the long ponytail I grew out is now on its way to Locks of Love, where it will be woven into a shiny black hairpiece for a well-deserving 6- to 18-year-old,” she said. Sergeant Lamar first heard of the cause in 1999 when she had 30 inches of her hair cut off. At that time, Sergeant Lamar had not heard of Locks of Love, and when the salon asked her if she would like to donate to it, she agreed. Airmen interested in donating their hair can visit foundation’s Web site at www.locksoflove.org.