Young siblings growing their hair for a cause

A young sister and brother are putting their energy into growing their hair for those who are losing theirs.

Sasha and Jeremiah Jepson, ages 7 and 10, respectively, are donating their tresses to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that collects donated hair to fashion into wigs for financially disadvantaged children and youth suffering from long-term hair loss.

The siblings learned about the organization through their mother, Gina Jepson, and her sister-in-law, both of whom have donated their hair several times. Gina says her children also have seen their own family members lose their hair due to cancer.

Jeremiah has beautiful, thick hair and when he was little he would get tons of compliments, his mother said. 

After reading on the Locks of Love website that it takes 4 inches of hair just to root a wig and that the required minimum length needed for a donation was 10 inches for a chin-length wig, the 10-year-old decided to keep growing his hair so that some little girl could have a chance for a longer wig.

“I didn’t think he would grow it out quite so long, though,” his mother said. “It’s a bit of a project to brush.”

According to the Locks of Love website, anyone under age 21 who receives one of the organization’s custom-sized hairpieces has lost more than their hair — they suffer from a loss of self-esteem. 

Many have been teased by classmates or are embarrassed by all the attention they received due to losing their hair, and often they withdraw from their normal activities.

The high-quality hair prosthetics Locks of Love creates cost between $3,500 and $6,000. They are designed to fit securely and only be removed by the individual. The wearer can feel confident swimming, showering and even doing gymnastics.

Locks of Love’s primary mission is to rebuild these young people’s self-esteem by restoring a sense of self, confidence and normalcy to their lives.

Hats (and scarves) off to Sasha and Jeremiah Jepson for going to such great lengths!

Four wheels. Four nails. Three blocks of wood. That’s all it took to make the original Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby race car, a tradition that began in 1953.  

A young, uniformed representative of the local Wolf Pack Troop 4921 stopped by the Inter Lake last week with a letter on behalf of his troop, thanking the community for supporting the Boy Scouts for 105 years and inviting the public to their upcoming Pinewood Derby. 

The Scouts have been busy helping out at the food bank and learning how to conduct proper flag ceremonies and folding of the American flag.

The Wolf Pack troop will be racing its handmade race cars — with a little help from Earth’s gravity — from about 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10, at the National Guard Armory on U.S. 93 north of Kalispell. Why not drop by and see if one of them breaks the nearly 20-mile-per-hour record?

Community editor Carol Marino may be reached at 758-4440 or by email at community@dailyinterlake.com.