Posts Tagged ‘hair donation’

NPC:  Tell us a little bit about your
organization, Locks of Love. Why was it started?

Lauren Kukkamaa: When Locks of Love first began, it was
connected with a for-profit wig retailer. In December 1997, the organization
obtained its 501(c)(3) certification from the IRS. With the installation of a
volunteer Board of Directors, the charity began operating as an entity unto
itself under its bylaws and separated from the for-profit retailer. This
initiative was spearheaded by Madonna Coffman, a retired cardiac nurse who had
a great deal of volunteer experience working for not-for-profits in the
surrounding Palm Beach
area.  When Mrs. Coffman was in her 20's she developed alopecia after
receiving a hepatitis vaccination. With medications, she recovered. 15 years later,
her 4-year old daughter developed alopecia and lost all of her hair. Madonna
said it was difficult to deal with her hair loss, but her daughter's loss was
ten times harder. It was at this time that she quit all other charity work and
took on Locks of Love as a full time volunteer cheered on by her daughter’s
recovery as her inspiration.

It is Locks of Love’s mission
to assist all financially disadvantaged children suffering from medical hair
loss with the highest quality hair prosthetics utilizing donated human hair.

 

NPC:  Who does it
serve?

Lauren
Kukkamaa:  Locks of Love serves children age 18 and
younger who are financially disadvantaged and suffering medical hair loss from
any diagnosis.

NPC:  How long have you been in operation?

Lauren
Kukkamaa: Locks of Love was incorporated into a
nonprofit in December 1997, and began providing hairpieces in 1998.

NPC: How many people did you serve your first year? And, this year?

Lauren
Kukkamaa:  Around 20 hairpieces were provided in
the first year, now we have provided over 2,000.

NPC:  What is your
most difficult challenge as a nonprofit?

Lauren
Kukkamaa:  Because we do not spend any
funding on marketing or advertising, there has been some misinformation spread
around about what it is Locks of Love actually does.  We always want to
ensure that our mission is properly portrayed so that we can reach more
families who may need our help.  It is important to know that we are a
children’s charity and that we do not discriminate as to the cause of the hair
loss. 

 

NPC:  What was your
most difficult challenge starting out?

Lauren
Kukkamaa:  I believe some of the early challenges
involved securing office space and a space to store all of the donated
hair!  For a while, the hair was stored in Mrs. Coffman’s garage! 

NPC:  What advice would you give to someone who wants to start a
nonprofit?

Lauren
Kukkamaa:  I wasn’t responsible for
incorporating Locks of Love into a nonprofit, so I can’t give advice on
starting one.  But I will say that one reason Locks of Love has been so
successful is because we have always spent the vast majority of our funding on
the program costs, spending minimal on fundraising and administrative costs.

 

NPC:  How can
people get involved?

Lauren
Kukkamaa:  There are a lot of ways to get involved. 
We accept hair and financial donations.  You can also hold an event within
your community to benefit Locks of Love.  For more information about this,
please visit our website and download the Registration Packet under the “Other
Ways to Help” tab.  Most importantly, you can tell someone you know about
Locks of Love.  Especially a pediatrician or a dermatologist, as these are
the people who know the children in need and can refer them to our program.

 

NPC: Is there anything
else you’d like to share with our readers?

Lauren
Kukkamaa:  I would just like to repeat what it is
that we do.  We are here to assist children who are suffering medical hair
loss from any diagnosis: alopecia, treatments for cancer, burns, trauma,
genetic and psychological disorders.  Please refer anyone you know who may
be able to benefit from our services.

*Lauren Kukkamaa is the Communications Director of Locks of Love. For more information on how you can get involved, please visit the website at http://www.locksoflove.org.