Caring teen donates hair in name of friends

BY CLARE MARIE CELANO Staff Writer

Erica Cerrato Erica Cerrato FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – How one soul is touched by another in life is sometimes even more clearly visible in death.

Erica Cerrato, 12, had long hair most of her life – until March 18. On that day she walked into Joe’s Barber Shop on South Street in Freehold Borough and had 12 inches of her lush locks cut off. She later donated it to Locks of Love in memory of her classmate and close friend, Graeme Preston, 12, and another friend, Kevin Clawson, 13.

Both boys were killed after they were struck by a minivan on Bar Harbor Road in Freehold Township on Feb. 27. The accident remains under investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office.

Erica is a seventh-grader at the Eisenhower Middle School and spent a good part of her early education years being close friends with Graeme.

“We were friends for eight-and-a-half years,” she said. “We became friends in kindergarten and stayed close friends until around the fourth grade.”

Although Erica said she knew Kevin for a much shorter time, she nonetheless wanted her donation to Locks of Love to be made in his name as well.

Locks of Love is a public nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children under the age of 18 who have long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis, according to the organization’s Internet Web site

Erica said she will always remember the closeness she and Graeme shared as youngsters. She said she had been planning to get her hair cut this summer and began to think about donating it to Locks of Love after a friend did the same.

“I thought it was a really nice thing to do,” she said, “It’s helping people. They (the children who receive the hair), need it more than me. Graeme was always such a giving person. He was really nice and really special person. When this happened it made me want to get it cut and donate it in his name now, instead of waiting until the summer.”

Erica is getting accustomed to her new short hair, which she has not had since she was a toddler, according to her mom, Kathy Cerrato.

Cerrato said she is proud of her daughter’s efforts to honor her friends.

“She is always willing to do anything to help someone else,” she said.

When asked if she will grow her hair long again, Erica replied, “most likely,” then added, “but nowhere near the length it once was. I never realized how much work it was to take care of.”