Members of the Darlington Community both near and far have been challenged to be a part of a year-long service project involving Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children suffering from long-term medical hair loss.
Throughout the remainder of this year, the summer and next year, Darlington will collect as many inches of hair as possible for donation. The school will participate in this meaningful initiative in honor of Gordon Hight’s (’94) niece, Lilly, and in memory of his late mother, Sue Hight.
“Service is the heart of Darlington, and we are so excited to be able to share this project with all the members of our school community,” said project coordinator Libbie Zimmer, director of the Learning Center. “Gordon is one of the three deans of students at the Upper School. His niece, age 3, is currently battling leukemia, and his mother was a cancer survivor. Through Locks of Love, there are many ways to honor the two of them, but the most obvious way is by growing your hair. So cancel your next hair appointment!”
Darlington’s administrators have even agreed to let male students join in this effort. All student participants will be required to make a commitment to the school and their peers that they will complete the task set before them. A wall of commitment will be displayed to honor all of our loved ones and keep track of the inches that have been donated.
The first donation has already been made by Elizabeth Buice (’08) who remembers leaving second grade with a smile because of one of her teachers, Lilly’s mother, Alberta (Hight) Fitzgerald (’93).
“We have been overwhelmed with the excitement of the entire community,” said co-coordinator Ivey Harrison (’99), assistant director of admission. “I have had several students and parents approach me with questions about the requirements or just to say they think it’s a great idea. To be able to report that that the first 10 inches of hair was donated by an alumna the week the announcement was made is absolutely outstanding. Even more meaningful is that Elizabeth chose to participate because Alberta Hight was such a positive part of her Darlington experience. I hope it serves as a reminder of the strength of the Darlington family and the values that our school community instills in us to give back.”
For more information, please contact
Zimmer or
Harrison. Even if you don’t want to grow your hair, you can still visit the Locks of Love Web site (
www.locksoflove.org) to learn more about the organization and help Darlington find creative ways to honor the Hight family and our many other friends and loved ones who have fought this courageous battle.
