WATCH: UC Students Go Short for a Good Cause

At least 26 people joined a simultaneous haircut in UC’s Great Hall on Saturday to create real-hair wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment. Among them was a male who believed he had been growing his hair for seven years, as well as both male and female children getting a significantly shorter haircut.

The UC student organization, Colleges Against Cancer, organized the event as part of the Beautiful Lengths campaign, a partnership between Pantene and the American Cancer Society. The campaign encourages volunteers to donate 8 inches of their hair so that Pantene can turn it into free, real-hair wigs for women with cancer.

Chris Talbott, a P&G Beautiful Lengths representative, told the volunteers that since the start of the Beautiful Lengths program, 18,000 wigs have been created out of more than 300,000 ponytails. He said eight percent of women diagnosed with cancer avoid chemotherapy treatment solely because they fear losing their hair.

Marissa Carducci, a fourth-year accounting student from Toronto, Ohio, member of Colleges Against Cancer and Beautiful Lengths participant, said that it takes four ponytails to create one wig. Carducci has also donated her hair once before, when she was a student in high school.

Mary Beth Hall, a cancer survivor and author of the book, “Lessons from a Bald Chick,” was guest speaker at the event. Hall, a native of northern Kentucky, is a high school guidance counselor and founder of Bald Chick Ministry, which donates proceeds from her book to individuals and organizations battling cancer.

“I have spoken at hundreds of events, but today is the most significant event, because you are cutting off a piece of yourself and giving a piece of yourself to us,” said Hall, whose mother died of breast cancer.

Salon Urbanity and Salon Rhonda at XY provided volunteer stylists to shape up the volunteers after they got their simultaneous haircut. The UC event collected 32 ponytails, according to Carducci.

The event was also sponsored by Student Government.