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Ponytail pals
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Staci Wills (left), Maddie Wills, Grace Rosko and Micky Rosko (right) posed for a “before” picture as the girls get ready to donate their cut hair to Wigs For Kids.
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Grace Rosko showed off what used to be her long hair. She had it cut so she could donate it to Wigs For Kids.
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Miss Carla, stylist at Casal’s De Spa and Salon, cut Grace Rosko’s hair so she can donate it to children with cancer through Wigs For Kids.
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Miss Jami, stylist at Casal’s De Spa and Salon, cut Maddie Wills’ hair for it to be donated to Wigs For Kids.
By ABBY SLANKER
Grace Rosko and Maddie Wills have a lot in common. They both just finished first grade at Hilltop Elementary. They belong to the same Brownie troop and are both 7 years old.
On June 2, they became linked in another way — one that involved a lot of hair and a heart for others.
The best friends and their families met at Casal’s De Spa and Salon in Canfield to have their hair cut and donated to Wigs For Kids. The organization provides hair for children who have lost theirs due to their fight with cancer.
Casal’s provides a free haircut with a junior stylist and then sends the hair to Wigs For Kids within a week of the cut. Hair must be a minimum of 12 inches long and must be braided before being cut.
Grace, daughter of Chad and Micky Rosko, had been growing her hair for almost two years. Maddie, daughter of Chris and Staci Wills, had not had a haircut in three years — since she was 4 years old.
“It is giving a gift to someone you don’t even know — I like that feeling! If you can help someone, you should,” said Grace.
Maddie’s mother was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer last July at age 32. She just finished chemo May 20.
“I donated my hair because my mom had cancer and I want to help kids with cancer,” Maddie said.
Denise Komara, Casal’s manager, said Thom Ciarnello, the owner of Casal’s, is a strong supporter of this program.
“Mr. Ciarnello is an advocate of doing good for the community, the earth and humanity. He is happy to support Wigs For Kids,” she said.
The girls will even earn a Wigs For Kids patch through their Brownie troop for their hair donations.
Wigs For Kids was founded in 1980 by Jeffrey Paul and is located in Westlake, Ohio. For more information, call 440-333-4433 or visit www.wigsforkids.org.