Roosky girl is a cut above for a good cause
A delighted and proud Ava Dolan with her ponytail measuring 19 inches which she cut off in aid of the Rapunzel Foundation.
A 10-year-old Roosky girl has gone the extra mile to help other children by having her long locks cut off for charity. Ava Dolan, who is about to start fifth class in Slatta National School has raised €4,205 as well as getting 19 inches of her hair cut in aid of LauraLynn, Ireland's Children's Hospice, and by taking part in Locks of Love for LauraLynn.
Ava’s mother Deirdre explained the fundraising started out as a result of “a bit of a joke”. She said Ava has been growing her hair for years and as she tried to brush it one day she joked she would cut if all off and send it to charity.
At this stage Ava became interested and began to ask questions about the charity and decided that she was going to help other children by donating her hair.
An idonate page was set up and sponsorship cards were distributed to raise as much money as possible. Deirdre explained that Ava received great support from her brothers Oisin and Cian, along with help from family and friends. She paid tribute to her colleagues in Cox’s Steakhouse in Dromod and to her husband Keith’s colleagues in Knockhall pig farm in Roosky.
“Ava though she might get a couple of hundred euro but she is absolutely thrilled to have raised so much,” the proud mother added.
Ava’s hair was cut by Dawn Duignan in the Mint Hair Salon in Longford to great excitement with the young girl delighted with her new, much shorter look.
The hair was later sent to the Rapunzel Foundation, which collects ponytail donations and monetary donations to provide wigs and partial wig funding to long term hair loss sufferers, living in Ireland.
The ponytail donations are sent to a wig maker where the hair is processed and depending on the quality of the hair it can take a minimum of 25 ponytail donations to turn these into a wig.
At its core, the Rapunzel Foundation signifies empowerment, providing support to those suffering from conditions that lead to longer term hair loss.
It supports individuals by providing wigs free of charge or partial wig funding to those who struggle to cover the cost.
The whole process from application to receipt of a piece can take six months as the piece is constructed specifically to suit the wearer.
