Published: June 29, 2008 12:35 am         

Cutting for a good cause

Local stylists volunteer time for annual charity event

After two hours, more than half of the roughly 40 white plastic chairs were still full of people, patiently waiting their turn for a haircut.

When five hours had gone by, six local stylist had given a total of 85 hair cuts as part of the fourth annual Cut-A-Thon Saturday at the Logansport Mall. All the proceeds from the event went to former Logansport resident Cathy Gossett, who is terminally ill with cancer.

The stylists said they were happy to donate their time for a good cause.

“It thrills me,” said Kathy Yoder, of The Great Full Head salon in Logansport. “I love seeing hair dressers give back.”

Yoder conceived the idea four years ago and enlisted the help of mall manager Lynda Warner. Yoder wanted stylists to be able to come together to do something good.

A different person or group has benefited from the event each year. The decision of who to pick is usually a difficult one.

“You want to help everyone you can,” said Warner. “I think everyone needs help. It is hard to pick and you can’t just pick one.”

This year, Gossett was chosen because of her struggle with cancer and all the charity work she has done while she lived in Logansport.

“Cathy has spent the majority of her time with charities,” said Yoder.

One of the reasons Logansport resident Karen Hunt came to the Cut-A-Thon was because she needed a haircut. She also knew Gossett and all of the work she did for Karing for Kids, which bought books, coats and Christmas presents for children in need.

“I think this is a good way to return the favor for her,” said Hunt. “For what she’s given to everyone else, this is just a small token of what we can give back.”

In addition to hair cuts, pony rides were given and Okee Dokee Karaoke was available, both for a donation.

Yoder enjoys participating each year for such a good cause.

“I get gratification for doing something for someone else,” she said. “It’s very small, giving haircuts for five hours, but that does good for someone else.”

She was also pleased with the turnout, noting the number of people has grown larger each year.

Yoder’s daughter, Darcy Myers, who works at The Great Full Head, has also participated each year for all five hours.

Doing good for others is the perk for her, as she said the event was her charity work for the year.

Shantell Sullivan worked for her fourth year, taking an hour away from her time at the J.C. Penny Salon. She enjoyed meeting the people and talking with them.

From Transition Salon and Day Spa, Velvet Gross and Nick Spurgeon both donated some of their day to help out as well.

Gross said the event is a good way not only to volunteer but also to meet new people. She enjoyed listening to people share their stories about why they were cutting their hair.

That included the story of Peru resident Jerry Mooneyhand, who stopped by with his wife, Jackie.

Jerry said his hair was 18 inches long before he sat down in the chair and he had at least 12 inches cut off.

He wanted to donate his hair to make hairpieces for children who lose their hair while going through cancer treatment.

Gross said she would be taking the hair with her to mail to Locks of Love. Jackie also took her turn for a trim, but didn’t want to cut off as much as her husband.

Before the couple had even left the event, Jerry was already planning his next donation.

“I’ll do it again,” he said. “I grew it out for three years and now I’ll start all over again.”

Denise Massie can be reached at (574) 732-5151 or via e-mail at denise.massie@pharostribune.com