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CRANBURY: Monroe students ‘make the cut’

By Nicole M. Wells, Special Writer
CRANBURY — If the heat and humidity weren’t enough of an indication, summer is officially here, which means raised hemlines, plenty of sunblock, and, for 30 little girls in Monroe Township, shorter ponytails.
On June 17, the girls, all students at Woodland Elementary School, came to town to get their hair cut for the Locks of Love charitable organization, Juliana Lako, owner of the recently opened Studio 43 Hair Design, said.
Ms. Lako’s salon did the "cuts for a cause" free of charge, as both a donation to the cause and a way to recognize the girls for their act of kindness.
The donated hair will be used to help financially disadvantaged children who have lost their own hair due to medical conditions, according to Locks of Love. The high-quality hair prostheses it creates help restore the self-esteem and confidence of their recipients, according to the organization’s website.
To make the haircuts extra special, Ms. Lako said that she and her stylists got a little colorful.
"We put pink streaks in their hair," she said. "They were so thrilled about that."
Sisters Emily and Erica Turcus, 6 and 9 respectively, each donated 11 inches of hair to Locks of Love.
Erica, who just finished the fourth grade, said that the hair she donated took a year to grow and that she heard about the project from friends at school.
"It felt good (to donate) because I’ve always heard of people who really love their hair but then they lose it from cancer or something so it felt good to give them some hair," she said. "It just makes them feel good and me feel good."
According to Ms. Lako, Abbe Fleming, a fifth grade teacher at Woodland Elementary, cut and donated her hair as well and is also now sporting a pink streak as part of her new look. Ms. Fleming is an advocate for Locks of Love among her students and encouraged the girls to donate, Ms. Lako said.
In addition to the girls from Woodland Elementary, Ms. Lako said several locals came into the salon during the cut-a-thon to donate their hair to Locks of Love, after hearing about what the girls were doing.
A member of the Cranbury Business and Professional Association, Ms. Lako said that she wanted to get the whole town involved in the event.
"It was really a community thing," she said. "We had a lot of fun."
Several downtown businesses contributed to the girls’ special day, including Twice Is Nice Consignment Shoppe, Cranbury Pizza, Molto Bene, Cranbury Bagel Barn and Teddy’s Restaurant, where the owner created a special just for the girls and wrote it up on the special’s board, Ms. Lako said.
Charmed by Claire also donated Vera Bradley handbags for the girls, she said.
The experience was so rewarding that Ms. Lako said she is thinking about doing it again.
"I would like to do it as a yearly thing," she said. "They were so adorable."
A relative newcomer to the Cranbury business scene, Ms. Lako waxed enthusiastic about the decision to open her business in town.
"I’m so glad to be here," she said. "This town is so supportive."
On the state level, Ms. Lako said that after reading about her work for Locks of Love, Assemblyman Dan Benson (D-14) sent a letter of commendation to her and Studio 43’s staff.
Locks of Love is a public non-profit that provides hairpieces to children under the age of 21 in the United States and Canada who are "suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis" and unable to afford prostheses, according to the organization’s website.
Based on their financial need, the children receive their hair prostheses free of charge or on a sliding scale, according to the organization’s website.
Locks of Love is accredited by the Better Business Bureau, certified by Independent Charities of America and received high marks from Charity Navigator. It is also a GuideStar Exchange Silver Participant. GuideStar is a 501(c)(3) public charity that collects, organizes and presents information about non-profits in a neutral, easy-to-understand way.
Studio 43 Hair Design is located at 43 N. Main Street in Cranbury.