DUBOIS – Penn State DuBois student Chrissy Lockwood, of Reynoldsville, has gone bald for a good cause. She sacrificed her more than shoulder length hair to raise money for THON during the annual THON Hair Auction. However, the Human Development and Family Studies major didn’t just get a haircut; she upped the anti by agreeing to completely shave her head if the rest of the campus community would step up and donate at least $500 to the cause. Lockwood was pleasantly surprised when bids for her hair surpassed her goal and topped $600.
Each year, the Penn State DuBois THON Committee organizes the hair auction to raise money for the Penn State Dance Marathon, which benefits children battling cancer. Those who attend the auction can place bids for the opportunity to cut the hair of the volunteer of their choice. Lockwood’s challenge raised the most, but two other volunteers brought in additional funds. Student Doug May and campus engineering technician Brian Tokarcik also put their hair up for bid, helping to bring the hair auction total to $855.
“I look at it this way,” Lockwood said of her decision to give her hair to benefit children with cancer. “Those kids have to be bald. Mine will grow back. It’s a temporary situation, and if it helps them, it’s well worth it.”
Lockwood is also donating her hair to Locks of Love, an organization that makes wigs for children who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment or other illnesses.
All told, the Penn State DuBois THON Committee raised over $13,000 this year. The money will be contributed to the grand total for THON 2011, to be held this weekend at the Bryce Jordan Center at University Park, where students will participate in a 46 hour dance marathon. In 2010, the event raised nearly $8 million for The Four Diamonds Fund, which supports childhood cancer research.
Steve Harmic, Penn State DuBois