Lengths And Luminary Donors Sought For June 9 Relay For Life

A growing number of local volunteers are walking around town with brand new and very short hairstyles compared to the extended locks they once wore. Many of them are not only seeking a cooler alternative for the hot summer months ahead, but a way to make a difference to those who may require hairpieces or wigs because of recent cancer treatments.

With just three weeks left to donate hair for this year’s Relay For Life of Newtown, event volunteers are “combing” the community for those qualified to donate long hair through the Sandy Hook Hair Co. and its Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths program.

Volunteers will culminate their charter year of participation in this new program June 9 and 10 as the annual Relay For Life takes to the track at Newtown High School from 5 pm to 5 am.

Women and men are encouraged to hold off on having their hair cut until the relay, so they can take part in an auction style event to encourage donations to the American Cancer Society for each length of hair that is cut during the festivities. Once their donated hair has been cut, Sandy Hook Hair Co. stylists will provide donors with a new and exciting hairstyle.

Pantene will then take the donated hair to make wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.

At last week’s Relay For Life meeting, Marge Mayer, Relay registration chair, demonstrated how easy it is to donate hair. With the help of this year’s honorary Relay For Life chair, Abbi Winters, Bonnie Fredericks of Sandy Hook Hair Co. cut and styled Ms Mayer’s hair.

The donated lengths will be forwarded to Pantene to create a wig for a cancer patient currently going through treatment. All wigs created from donations at Newtown’s relay will be given to the Wilton office of the American Cancer Society to be distributed locally.

Anyone interested in donating hair must have lengths a minimum of eight inches long measured from just above the elastic band of a ponytail to the end.

Hair can be colored or permed, but not bleached or chemically damaged, and cannot have more than a few strands of gray hair and wavy/curly hair texture is fine. Anyone participating in the Relay day auction fundraiser is asked to come to the event with their hair clean, shampooed and/or conditioned, without any styling, hairspray, or additional hair products. 

In other Relay news, organizers are planning a push to sell luminaries that will line the track Saturday, June 9. When the sun goes down that evening, hundreds of luminaries will light the way during the Ceremony of Hope at Relay For Life of Newtown.

The luminaries line the track and are left burning throughout the night to remind participants of the incredible importance of their contributions. Luminaries are available for a $10 donation to the American Cancer Society and may be purchased online at acsevents.org/relay/ctnewtown or at Dr Baum/Gellert’s office and Prudential Connecticut Realty, both on Church Hill Road.

Newtown Bee Associate Editor John Voket has been supporting the effort since January collecting specifically for the luminaria effort at monthly “Shining On for a CURE” fundraisers. The final two “Shining On” events are set for this Saturday, May 19, at Mocha Coffeehouse on Glen Road in Sandy Hook beginning at 7:30 pm, and on the eve of the Relay, June 8 at Proud Mary’s in the Inn at Newtown beginning at 8.

Mr Voket, who is also a musician and singer, will be asking attendees to match up to his hourly donation of two luminaries for the cause. He will be joined this Saturday by guitarist Brendan Walsh.

All Relay supporters and volunteers are invited to the June 8 performance at Proud Mary’s, which will be a pre-event celebration in honor of everyone who is lending a hand to this communitywide activity.

In addition, on June 2, Relay organizers are sponsoring “Luminary Saturday.” Luminaries will be sold by local Relay teams in front of the Drug Center/Newtown Hardware, Dunkin’ Donuts, Stop & Shop, and Dodgingtown Market.

“As in past years, we will have a slide show during the luminaria ceremony honoring cancer survivors and remembering those we have lost,” said Relay co-chair Dawn Escoda. “If you would like to submit a picture of a loved one please drop it off at Dr Baum’s office or email it to: newtownrelay@gmail.com.”

For more information please email relayforlifeofnewtown@yahoo.com or go online at acsevents.org/relay/ ctnewtown. The American Cancer Society can be reached by calling 800-ACS-2345, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or visit www.cancer.org for additional cancer related information.