Helping Sick Kids, 12 Inches of Hair at a Time

For most of her short life, Madalyn Poore has been very clear about her preferred hairstyle: long.

So it came as something of a surprise when the 4-year-old Cinnaminson girl announced one day that she wanted to cut off her blonde locks to help other children.

Less surprising, says Madalyn’s mom Kristin DePhilippo, is the girl’s sense of giving, a trait she says Madalyn has always displayed.

Earlier this month, Madalyn sat in a chair at Salon Kris Cole in Delran and watched as manager Theresa McDonough Peterson cut off 12 inches of her hair for Wigs for Kids. The nonprofit makes hairpieces for children who have lost their hair from cancer treatment, alopecia and other diseases.

“I saw a little girl with no hair on TV and I wanted to give her my hair because I have so much hair and she'll have so much hair if I give her mine," Madalyn explained.

Her donation became part of the Moorestown Wigs for Kids Challenge, started eight years ago by a group of Moorestown third-graders. What started as a pact to donate their hair to Wigs for Kids has now morphed into an all-out community project as the Moorestown Wigs for Kids Challenge nears its 300th ponytail donation.

And Emily Lubin, who has helped shepherd the project for eight-plus years, got a first-hand look at the widening circle of those intent on donating hair for children’s wigs when she walked into a salon this month and met Madalyn. Emily was there to donate her third 12-inch ponytail.

“I’m so excited that so many people are willing to do this,” Lubin, 15 and a rising Moorestown High School junior, said. “Every person who donates is helping a little girl or boy going through an awful experience feel a bit better.

“We understand that we don’t need this hair as much as they do.”

It's a lesson Madalyn is embracing at young age. 

"When I saw Emily and she was giving her hair too, I was proud of her and I was proud of myself," she said.

Madalyn’s enthusiasm also inspired her brother, Nick, 6. Disappointed he didn’t have enough hair to donate, Kristen DePhilippo said the family decided to find a charity walk they all could do instead.

“I am so proud of both my kids and hope that Madalyn's gesture was just the beginning. As a family I hope that we can do much more in our community,” DePhilippo said. “Emily is an inspiration and a role model and I am so glad that we were able to meet this incredible young woman.” 

For her part, Lubin is gratified that children like Madalyn participate in the Moorestown Wigs for Kids Challenge. It’s indicative of the group’s efforts to promote their cause. 

That growing donor base is a good thing, since it takes about 12 ponytails to make a single wig.

Area salons have thrown their support behind the project as well, often offering free hair cuts to donors. Partnering salons include Salon Caryn Max in Moorestown, Salon Kris Cole in Delran, where Lubin and Madalyn got their hair cut, and the Rizzieri Salon in Marlton.

As the group nears its 300th donation milestone, Lubin said the plan is to continue to grow the project and aid more children who need hairpieces.

Madalyn stands ready to donate more hair—although she might be a bit overly ambitious about how fast she can grow another 12 inches.

"I want to donate my hair all the time. As soon as it gets long enough, like in a couple weeks, I will go back to Theresa and she will cut my hair again for another little girl," Madalyn said McDonough Peterson, a cancer survivor herself. "I will tell my friends to donate their hair, too.

"I will them them that sometimes little kids get sick and they lose their hair and it makes them feel better if they have hair to put on."