By: Alyssa Ochss | St. Clair Shores Sentinel | Published November 10, 2024
ST. CLAIR SHORES — An Indiana girl traveled to St. Clair Shores to donate her hair to make wigs for kids in need.
After careful research and consideration, Jillian, the hair donor, ultimately decided to donate her hair to Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan. The organization creates wigs for children with different medical conditions, including cancer and alopecia, that causes them to lose their hair.
Jillian and her mother Amanda traveled all the way from Northeast Indiana to deliver her hair to the organization. The journey takes around three hours by car to get to St. Clair Shores.
Jillian said when she conducted her research, she liked the cause and the provided information, calling it the best fit for her.
She’s been growing her hair out for around five years. She said she’s wanted to donate her hair for quite a while.
“At one point I was like if I want to do this then I’ve just got to do it,” Jillian said.
She went on to say she went through a couple websites and found the organization.
Amanda said she is very proud of her daughter.
“Jillian has always been a compassionate kid who has always liked serving and helping others, especially, you know, younger, like youth, like kids, teenagers,” Amanda said.
She went on to say Jillian is involved in a variety of different organizations including places that provide youth groups and retreats with children.
“I’m always proud of Jillian for what she does and who she is and who she is becoming,” Amanda said. “It’s amazing to be her mom.”
Jennifer Fisher, development director for Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan, gave them a full tour of the facility. It has a styling room for kids and teenagers and much more. Since many kids with cancer can’t go to a regular salon because of germs, the organization offers them a salon experience right in the facility.
During the tour, Amanda said Jillian wanted to donate her hair for quite a while.
“We didn’t just want to throw the hair in an envelope, so we wanted to come here,” Amanda said during the tour.
Amanda appreciated how the organization cares for the whole person instead of just giving the children wigs.
“I love how you’re trying to help with every aspect because that makes a difference,” Amanda said during the tour.
Fisher said she thinks Maggie Varney, Maggie’s Wigs 4 Kids of Michigan founder and CEO, realized they needed to care for the whole person after working with so many kids and taking surveys. She went on to say when they started, they just provided wigs to the kids.
“They would tell her all these things that they needed help on,” Fisher said during the tour. “And when the parents would sit there and go, ‘Well, I’d love to do this for her, but insurance doesn’t cover it.’ And (we) went, ‘Well, why can’t we provide that? Why can’t we do this and make it like a whole wellness package?’”
Varney said families normally cannot afford the wigs they make, but because of people like Jillian who donate their hair they can make the wigs for the children and their families.
“As long as they need our services, they can stay in our program,” Varney said. “They get a new wig every single year and it costs them nothing and their families nothing.”
Councilman Dave Rubello said Varney is known around the state and called Jillian an angel for donating her hair.
“You’re helping people and those are the people that say they were touched by an angel,” Rubello said.