DSHA Celebrates a Decade of Giving: Locks of Love 10 Year Anniversary

On January 25th, 2009, over 60 Divine Savior Holy Angels (DSHA) students simultaneously cut their hair to better the lives of another. It began as a humble gesture. It has grown into a spirited celebration of kindness. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the Locks of Love donation assembly successfully continued its tradition of giving, aligning with the school’s mission.

Over the duration of the decade, DSHA has contributed over $350,000 in donated hair. The total value of donated hair for this year’s event was over $38,000.

The first year that the event took place, 12 girls took part. Participation has grown by over five times that amount. Over 582 ponytails, with a value of over $350,000, have been donated to Locks of Love. Locks of Love provides hairpieces to children suffering long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis, however, most have lost their hair due to a medical condition called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure.

Student coordinators, Anna Bruders (Brookfield), Rebecca Ruesch (Wauwatosa) and Theresa Hofschulte (Wauwatosa) were inspired by the work of leaders past and chose the song “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles as an overarching theme for the service effort.

“We chose the theme because when one is suffering from alopecia, or any disease for that matter, the one thing that person wants above anything else is love. I am so proud that I can be a part of this, but am so grateful that I have the ability to do this. Being able to lead the study body in this assembly makes me feel like I am making a difference and makes me want to do more to help,” said Bruders.

Studio 890 Salon of Elm Grove, Wis., returned for a ninth year of providing cutting services.

Divine Savior Holy Angels High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school that excels at preparing young women intellectually, spiritually, and personally. Sponsored by the Sisters of the Divine Savior, enrollment for the 2009-2010 school year is 656 students.