Photo: Madilynn Cruickshank
Madilynn Cruickshank donates her long locks to Wigs For Kids BC
A Penticton teenager wants to give back to the hospital community that has supported her for years and is donating a large amount of her hair to help other children gain confidence.
Seventeen-year-old Madi Cruickshank has been growing her hair for three years to donate it to Wigs For Kids BC, a program at the British Columbia Children’s Hospital in Vancouver.
“I’ve always wanted to do this since I was a little kid. It just seemed kind of cool. And everywhere I went, people would say, ‘Oh, you have such beautiful hair. It’s nice and thick,'” she said.
To be donated for the production of a wig, hair must be at least 25 cm long and must not be bleached, dyed or permed.
The organization explained that about 10 to 12 ponytails are needed to make one wig and that hair donors are encouraged to collect donations before the haircut, as donations help reduce the cost of making wigs.
Cruickshank said she has been to BC Children’s Hospital quite a few times for psychiatric reasons.
“I go there all the time for appointments and stuff. So it’s the perfect thing. It’s connected,” she added.
“I chose this non-profit organization because their primary goal is to help children feel better and more confident. Not only that, they also provide the wigs for free. This gives families who don’t have enough money for a new, expensive wig the chance to feel good in their own skin.”
Since the wigs can cost around $1,000 to make and are 100 percent funded by donations, the teenager hopes that by sharing her story, others will also donate to the cause.
“I was hoping to get at least $1,000 and then donate my hair as well. So it could actually be in the works and actually become something for someone. So I set a goal of $2,000 and now we’re almost at $2,500.”
Cruickshank is also involved in the leadership team at Penticton Secondary School, where she says she has made a great contribution to raising awareness of the need for community service.
She plans to cut her hair to shoulder length next week before she goes back to school.
Click here to donate to BC’s Children’s Hospital Foundation on Cruickshank’s donation page.
