Samantha Baaten is ready to chop off her dark blonde locks for a good cause. Photo: Shri Gayathirie Rajen.
Turvey Park Girl Guide Samantha Baaten is all set to donate more than 60 cm of her dark blonde locks to be made into wigs for children with cancer.
Samantha has decided to donate her hair next week to kick off her Girl Guide BP Award challenge. Her hair will be made into a wig through Wigs 4 Kids, a charity for children with cancer.
“I’m excited but also a little bit nervous,” Samantha said.
“As soon as I knew what I was doing, I went straight to my friends Indie and Bridget and told them, ‘I’m donating my hair!'”
Samantha also told her teacher, who then helped spread the word among all the teachers and the principal.
The 10-year-old has researched the process and will get her hair cut at Elm Avenue Hairdresser in Wagga.
“You have to put your hair into four to six plaits and then cut each plait,” Samantha said.
“After it’s donated, they turn it into wigs.”
Samantha joined the Guides five years ago after she managed to tie the rope on her pants and showed it to her mum and Turvey Park Guide leader, Claire Batten, who told her she was ready to join the unit.
She enjoys being part of the Guides with her mum and older sister, Nicola.
“I love everything about it,” she said.
Over the weekend, Samantha went to Temora for a canoeing and camping adventure with other Girl Guides from Temora, Hay, Grenfell, and Deniliquin. She had to capsize the canoe and escape as part of the challenge.
“And out of all of us who capsized, I was the only one who managed not to get my head underwater,” she said.
Elm Avenue hairdresser Erin McDermott is looking forward to supporting Samantha by cutting her hair.
She will provide free services, including washing, blow-drying, and cutting Samantha’s hair.
“It’s always great. I’ve done this quite a few times now, so I’m familiar with it,” Erin said.
“But it’s always special when someone so young makes such a generous decision, and Samantha’s dad is also one of my clients.”
To successfully complete her BP Award, Samantha will need to undertake 18 challenges across six guiding principles: Promise and Law, Outdoors, Service, World Guiding, Guiding Traditions, and the Patrol System.
In addition to donating her hair, Samantha is also fundraising. Her goal was $500, but she has already raised nearly $2000. Her hair will be used to create bespoke wigs for children, and her fundraising efforts will provide essential financial assistance to families in need.
The funds will also support paediatric oncology hospitals across the country, ensuring that every child facing cancer receives the care and support they deserve.
To donate to Samantha’s Kids with Cancer Wigs4Kids fundraiser click here.
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