Sponsored Haircut?

[egg99]

Hi all,

I'm in a bit of a dilemma, let me explain:

I'm a bellringer (I ring bells at my local cathedral as a hobby). Basically, the cathedral has ten bells at the moment for us to ring, but we're hoping to get two more. The price to buy these two new bells will be £30,000 and will take at least two years to raise the money.
Myself and fellow bellringers were discussing fundraising ideas tonight after our practice, and someone suggested that I get sponsorsed to cut my hair. They recon that I would get a lot of support for doing it, but at the time I was really devistated that they even suggested it to even consider doing such a thing.
But now, I'm not so sure. I've been a really dedicated bellringer since I was six years old, I'm now nineteen, and I feel that I should do something to help. If I did cut my hair, at least I know I'd be doing it for a good cause, and I'd feel like these two new bells would somehow be a part of me for loosing my hair.
But I don't know if I could go through with it, because I really love my hair!

What does anyone think? Do you think it would be worth it? Or should I just keep my hair and find some other way to raise money for the new bells?

[Isilme]

find another way to get the money. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your hair! If the person who suggested that thinks the idea so great, why don't she/he do it her/himself?

[kam984420]

That's upto you. If you cut, it will take FOREVER to grow it back. However since you're only 19, you've got plenty of time, depending on how many inches you cut.

[egg99]

Isilme, thanks for the message, the people who actually suggested I cut are guys with very short hair, so I guess they don't really appreciate it like we do!

Kam, I'm not sure how much I'd cut off really. I'm someone who doesn't like to do things in half measures, so I'd probably go really short and just start all over again, rather than have to go back to BSL or something.

[purplebubba]

Unless this is something that you want to do I agree to find another way. Something where everyone pitches in like a bake sale or craft sale.

If you had come up with the hair idea yourself that would be one thing.
If they want hair to be the theme then they should ask for volunteers. Not just pick the person with long hair.

ETA: Maybe they can raise money for them to grow their hair so that they can cut it next year.

ETA: What about selling bells?

[Islandgrrl]

Just out of curiosity, what body part are they willing to sacrifice for the greater good???

Find another way unless it's something you desperately want to do.

[egg99]

Hehe! Some of us suggested that the men waxed their legs, they didn't like that idea much!

[Kleis]

Ask these guys what body part they're willing to cut off in solidarity. :lol:

There's no way I would do it. Why should this fall on you to sacrifice something, instead of all of you pitching in to do other types of fundraising? :shrug: But your choice, of course.

ETA: Heh. Izzie beat me to it.

[egg99]

Thanks everyone who's posted so far. Just so you are aware, the bellringers are all working together to think of a lot of different things we can do to raise money. The hair is just one of them. I don't think they expect me to earn most of the money on my own, but I don't think they realised how much it would affect me when they suggested it.

[SHELIAANN1969]

I think you all could make up little tickets of chores that you can do, print them up and then raffle them off.

All the bell ringers could say they are willing to do one chore a month for a year and make up a packet of tickets.*examples* January- Snow shoveling * Feb.-dog walking *March-Car washing etc.

I personally would not cut my hair while everyone else did nothing, that isn't quite fair to ask someone with long hair to cut their hair while kicking back doing nothing.

Let us know what you decide on.

[Sunshine69]

I don't understand why anyone would want to donate money to see you cut your hair. And I don't think you should even consider doing it. That really wasn't fair to put you on the spot like that.

[angelthadiva]

find another way to get the money. You shouldn't have to sacrifice your hair! If the person who suggested that thinks the idea so great, why don't she/he do it her/himself?

My words exactly! :thumbsup:

What about a car wash?

Guys, eh? Why don't they donate...erm, ahem...SOMETHING? :eyebrows:

[manderly]

Well, I agree with the others, if its something you WANT to do, then go for it.

I had a friend in high school who organized the blood drive. If we made our goal she'd shave her head. We did. And she did, in the middle of the campus with hundreds of onlookers. Buzzed it off. :)

But she was always a hair renegade, dying it crazy colors, doing funky things with it. To her hair was another accessory to change and play with. Plus, it was HER idea. No one pressured her to do it :)

So again, if it's something you would like to do, go for it. If not, there are many other ways. Bake sales, car washes, can drives, etc.

[SHELIAANN1969]

Did you tell them? I don't think anyone donating would expect you to actually go to those lengths, no pun intended. In reality, what good would cutting your hair do? It would just be a ponytail of cut hair,



Thanks everyone who's posted so far. Just so you are aware, the bellringers are all working together to think of a lot of different things we can do to raise money. The hair is just one of them. I don't think they expect me to earn most of the money on my own, but I don't think they realised how much it would affect me when they suggested it.

[Islandgrrl]

I can think of a ton of ways to raise money that would be a team effort and not just you whacking off your hair for the highest bidder.

Bake sale
Car wash
Community silent auction (donations from community or church members, businesses, etc. - we're doing this right now at our gym and from the looks of it we could hit the $10,000 mark - and we're in a TINY community)
Run, walk or bike-a-thon
Raffle (again items donated by community business or members)
Spare change donations / "Spare Dollar" donations
Pancake breakfast or Spaghetti feed

There are heaps of ways to raise money.

[Sissy]

Thanks everyone who's posted so far. Just so you are aware, the bellringers are all working together to think of a lot of different things we can do to raise money. The hair is just one of them. I don't think they expect me to earn most of the money on my own, but I don't think they realised how much it would affect me when they suggested it.

If it's going to affect you then no don't do it. I wouldn't do it either... my hair is a part of me. It makes me feel confident. It helps me feel like an individual. I wouldn't want to lose it. I have had long hair for so long... I cannot imagine what it would even be like to have short.

In the end it's up to you what you WANT to do. Follow your heart on this one.

[kam984420]

Kam, I'm not sure how much I'd cut off really. I'm someone who doesn't like to do things in half measures, so I'd probably go really short and just start all over again, rather than have to go back to BSL or something.


If you're going to start all over, i wouldn't recommend it. If it was going to just cost a year's growth, then i would say go for it. There's no need to start all over if you don't have to. Especially if you like your long hair.

[Sissy]

I can think of a ton of ways to raise money that would be a team effort and not just you whacking off your hair for the highest bidder.

Bake sale
Car wash
Community silent auction (donations from community or church members, businesses, etc. - we're doing this right now at our gym and from the looks of it we could hit the $10,000 mark - and we're in a TINY community)
Run, walk or bike-a-thon
Raffle (again items donated by community business or members)
Spare change donations / "Spare Dollar" donations
Pancake breakfast or Spaghetti feed

There are heaps of ways to raise money.

I agree.. these are some good ways to raise money. Why would anyone be interested in donating money just to know that someone will cut their hair? I think people will be more likely to donate if you are putting on a spaghetti dinner :p I know I would at least... I could give a hoot about someone cutting their hair. But, if a spaghetti dinner were being put on you can count me, my husband, and our whole family in :D

[purplebubba]

Perhaps you could have some sort of dress up day where your group and possibly public volunteers dress in costumes of some sort to ring the bells.

Favorite movie characters.
Clowns
Historical outfits.

Are you just ringing the bells or do you play music with them?


Perhaps sell bell shaped items?

Chocolate bells
Candles or soaps
Cookies or cakes


Get some craft wire and bend it into bell shapes. You could add beads.

[SimplyLonghair]

I frankly am horrified. In any fund raising that our church did, it was always to be shared by all concerned, not just a few. I find it offensive that someone should suggest it. Probably almost as offensive as they found the suggestion that they wax their legs.

I think that selling hair would never be appropriate. But then I find selling body parts offensive.

We would do dinners, and bake sales and craft fairs and the like to raise money. Sponser a run, walk and be sponsored for the amount of miles. Do car washes, clean ups, where people pay to have church members do their odd jobs. All of these are ways to raise funds that don't involve body parts, other than just sweat and effort. LOL
But they do work.

I hope that you find a great way to raise money, and just because you don't want to cut your hair doesn't mean that you aren't dedicated. It just means that you don't feel the need to be the sacrificial lamb.:p

[wintersun99]

.............

[egg99]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, and the advice :)

I'm wavering toward keeping my hair at the moment, and seeing all these lovely ideas for fundraising is really encouraging. Of course, these are early days for the bells, maybe next year I might feel more passionate about cutting my hair, but at the moment I'd like to hope we can raise the money without me loosing it.

Keep the ideas coming if you have any more, because they're really brilliant! Thanks!

[Islandgrrl]

I can give you ideas for a silent auction....we've been overwhelmed at how easy it actually turned out to be and how much generosity came from our staff, our membership, and our community.

Our staff members offered:

Cake of the Month - one cake every month for a year
4 hours of springtime yard cleanup
10 car-washes (done by staff members)
Pie of the Month (same idea as cake)
Coffee of the Month (a pound bag of coffee, different variety each month)

Members donated:

Artwork
Gift certificates to their businesses
Jewelry
Gorgeous handcrafted items
A fishing trip for 2
7-nights in a Hawaiian condo on the beach (airfare not included)

Community businesses offered:

Gift certificates to their businesses, including
Restaurants
Salons
Massage
Healing Arts
Catering
Decorating
Landscaping
Architecture
Dentistry

[Kleis]

I guess what confuses me about things like this is it's a long lasting effect on you for trivial entertainment for other people. Unless someone is willing to part with a huge amount of money, that is. Otherwise, it'd be people throwing a few dollars into the pot, being entertained by your hair getting cut, and then completely forgetting about it within a few hours.

Maybe I look at this differently because my hair grows so slowly, but if I did this, it'd take well over a decade to get back to where I am now. A decade to return to this length, versus a little money and an hour of amusement for a few other people, or even a lot of other people? It's not even remotely worth it.

There are a lot of suggestions of activities people can do which seem more constructive than destructive. A road race for charity, some type of food raffle... heck, talk to a local car dealer and see if you can get a donation of a car for raffle. It's been done here quite often to benefit a local museum, and I can't see that bells aren't just as interesting.

But if the idea doesn't disturb you or you want to cut your hair, people get into it. It mystifies me, but there you go. :)

[purplebubba]

I'd like to suggest that if anyone asks you where you got these ideas you may want to simply say you found them on the internet and don't mention they came from a hair site. Unless they already know you visit sites like this and haven't reacted negatively to it.

[Beatnik Guy]

find some other way to raise money for the new bells?
:agree:
and :rolleyes: that they even suggested it.

[Speedbump]

I wouldn't do it, not even to pay off my own house. But to each their own. :)

[MemSahib]

May I say that having people pay to watch you get your beautiful hair cut short is voyeristic, to say the least? And look who winds up making all the sacrifice — you, my dear! I think you should not be the only one bearing the brunt of this fund-raising and it horrifies me that the others would suggest it. Like others have said, your hair can be cut very, very short in about 5 minutes. It will take years to re-grow it and again, you are the one left with all the bad styles, the awkward growing out phases and bereft of your lovely tresses — while the others get to sit back and watch.

There have been many good fund-raising suggestions made. Please tell your friends that your hair is off-limits and help them find something else for your group to do.

[Moiraine]

Three li'l words honey.....

Don't do it

Some more words:
If you didn't have an attachment to your hair, you wouldn't be here at LHC would you. I agree with everyone above. Don't let anyone "guilt" you into anything you don't want to do:grouphug:

[manderly]

I wouldn't do it, not even to pay off my own house. But to each their own. :)

Girl, if someone offered to pay off my house to shave my head.....I'd do it in a heartbeat! LOL

[SimplyLonghair]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, and the advice :)

I'm wavering toward keeping my hair at the moment, and seeing all these lovely ideas for fundraising is really encouraging. Of course, these are early days for the bells, maybe next year I might feel more passionate about cutting my hair, but at the moment I'd like to hope we can raise the money without me loosing it.

Keep the ideas coming if you have any more, because they're really brilliant! Thanks!


Dear One, Please don't waver, take a stand! It is your hair, you have a biblical stance that your hair is a glory. Don't let others pressure you into cutting. They have no status in this matter. This is your hair, period. You, as others have said have to live with it, they don't.

It is unfair to even suggest something, anything, as a fund raising, that causes the burden to fall upon one as opposed to all. Yes in many fund raisers, the burden is usually on the few volunteers. Than it the way that much fund raising works.

But that doesn't mean born by one, namely you. It sounds like they were just grasping at straws instead of really putting their heads in it to get some real ideas to get the finances.

So hang in there and don't fold! :rockerdud :grouphugs:

[Redheaded Raven]

DON'T do it its you hair not theirs

[audree_ov]

I wouldn't do it.

There's so many more effective methods of raising the money to buy new bells, many of which have already been suggested.

Whatever you decide, don't make a hasty decision, and make sure your completely comfortable with your decision.

[Carolyn]

Do you realize there are a lot of hair f**ish pervs who would love to see your hair cut? Think about that :puke: I cannot believe someone suggested you cut your hair to raise money. You can participate in car washes and bake sales and the like. Some people just don't have a clue about long hair. Don't do it and don't let them guilt you into it.

[herbgurl82]

I can think of a ton of ways to raise money that would be a team effort and not just you whacking off your hair for the highest bidder.

Bake sale
Car wash
Community silent auction (donations from community or church members, businesses, etc. - we're doing this right now at our gym and from the looks of it we could hit the $10,000 mark - and we're in a TINY community)
Run, walk or bike-a-thon
Raffle (again items donated by community business or members)
Spare change donations / "Spare Dollar" donations
Pancake breakfast or Spaghetti feed

There are heaps of ways to raise money.


When I was a president of a club in college, we had great success with a 50-50 raffle. A person would buy a ticket for a dollar, and then when we had the drawing, the winner got half of the money that we made. The other half we kept. It was a huge success. Every little bit added up, and since it was only a buck, lots of people bought a ticket. You might want to try that. Don't cut your hair!

[Demetrue]

Why would people pay money to watch someone destroy something beautiful? I do not think that kind of circus-like, voyeuristic type activity is all that wholesome or healthy. I would NOT do it. Don't let others try to control what you do with your hair or your body - it belongs to you. There are hundreds of ways to raise the money for the bells that do not involve you being put in such a horrible position.

[rapunzhell13]

Can I just say that the fact that you decided to tell us about it, before doing it of course, suggests to me that there is a fairly strong part of you that doesn't want to do it? Because you must've known that the majority of us would tell you not to do it. If this is the case, please don't let them make you feel guilty for not wanting to go through with it. A lot of people just do not understand how important hair can be to one's self, but that is them and this about you. It will take years to grow back and I don't think being young will make it much less devastating. If you do do it though, I suggest getting a bob to make the grow-out that much easier. :blossom:

[manderly]

Ok, this thread is getting worked up into a bit of a tizzy. I just want to remind everyone that not everyone is as attached or thoughtful of their hair as we are.

Someone cutting off their hair for a fundraiser isn't that horrific an idea for most people who don't obsess like we do :)

I've see LOTS of examples of people shaving their heads in the name of fundraising or solidarity (i.e. cancer). It's just not a huge deal to lots of people.

Just keep that in mind. No one thought that the idea of her cutting her hair would be a huge offense to her. Perhaps the entire group of bell ringers was considering all cutting their hair in an effort to raise funds.

Now, again, do it only if it's what YOU want to do. Do not let yourself be pressured. There are a lot of other options out there. But don't hold it against these people that they dared to come up with that idea.

[White_Rabbit]

If you do end up cutting your hair you should donate it, like to Locks of Love

[manderly]

If you do end up cutting your hair you should donate it, like to Locks of Love


No. Please search this forum to educate yourself about Locks of Love. They sell their wigs to allopecia sufferers, not give them to children with cancer, and most hair donations they receive are thrown away. It's not as cuddly as they lead you to believe. :flower:

[Calista]

You could do it the other way around. Tell everybody that if by date x the amount y isn´t raised you promised to cut off your hair. ;) I bet alot of people think your hair is worth saving.

[egg99]

Thanks everyone for the messages of support for my hair! I must admit that after hearing what you've all been saying, I've definatly been thinking about it in a less favourable light!
Thanks for some of the fundraising suggestions too. These auction ideas and sales sound really good, and I'll suggests them to the other ringers when I see them next.
:)

[david]

Hehe! Some of us suggested that the men waxed their legs, they didn't like that idea much!

That is a bit hyprocritical of them, its not ok for the men to wax their legs but its ok for you to cut your hair. This sounds like they are just trying to lead/bully you into something by saying its for a good cause. The fact that you are even thinking about not wanting to do it should be enough to indicate you dont really want to do it. Dont do it, you'll end up regretting it. There's plenty of things that can be done to raise the cash and get media support without going to the extreme of cutting your hair.

What about getting together a few bands (signed bands or even local bands) and running a charity night to raise the funds needed. The leg waxing idea would raise just as much cash as you cutting your hair. So my advice would be dont do it as it sounds like they are pushing you into it by running the old charity guilt trip.

[LisaButz2001]

Don't do it. There are tons of ways to raise money. Growing your hair out again takes more time than it would take to fundraise for new bells.

[SHELIAANN1969]

I was wondering, will the company who sells the bells give a discount in any way? That could shave off some of the price. I never realized bells were so expensive.

I don't know if it was mentioned but how about a "walk-a-thon". Or bingo, if you could get cool prizes for the bingo winners, even things that cost 1$, or donations of some sort, that would be fun.

I know there are companies that have items that they front to organizations/churches/clubs etc to raise money (like candy bars and candles) and then you pay for the stuff after it's sold.

[Isilme]

I have an idea, dress up in historical clothing (and for that you'd have to have nice hair!) and do guided tours and let people pay for them. Make it clear that the money from the tour goes to new bells! Or do a concert or something. The idea of selling bell formed things is also great! It could be combined with both the tours and a concert.

[Pixna]

I find it disturbing that other people would ask someone to change themselves or parts of their body for ANY reason. Your body (including your hair) is your own -- it's not for sale, and it should not be anybody's entertainment. I find those makeover shows on TV--where a longhaired woman has her hair chopped off in a single swoop and the audience applauds--disgusting. It's one thing if you make a choice (as I did--which I sorely and deeply regret, and I have no doubt you would too!), but it's another if you are coerced into it. Would you cut off a finger to earn money? Where does it stop? There are lots of ways that funds can be raised, and you've gotten plenty of great ideas here already. Asking someone to cut her long hair off for a monetary reward smacks of sadism. Surely the cathedral can up with some more innovative methods of fundraising than having you maim yourself for a bell.

[scalawaggirl]

I'm strongly in the "Don't do it" camp! Unless the idea was yours to start with, which it wasn't, then you will very likely have a great deal of regret, if you do cut it and it would take many, many years to get it back to the same length.

Now, I realize that not everyone is obsessed like many of us here are (my BF is just now truly understanding the extent of my hair interest) but another poster was right in that you are a member of LHC for a reason. :)

There have been super suggestions on alternative ways to raise money. I find it uber creepy that the idea came up for you to cut your hair and definitely, that it's voyeuristic. Again, it wasn't your idea so that should tell you everything you need to know. Never trust an outsider's opinion on your hair (unless it's positive, LOL). That's how mine ended up getting cut the last go 'round. Never, ever again.

[TierraMWilson]

I've considered cutting my hair for charity. I think it's a noble cause and hair is hair. It grows back and you might be surprised at how nice a change is. If you decide to cut it, make sure you have some great shears! I'd suggest these rosy ones...it'll take the edge off! :)
:spam:

[Alia]

I've considered cutting my hair for charity. I think it's a noble cause and hair is hair. It grows back and you might be surprised at how nice a change is. If you decide to cut it, make sure you have some great shears! I'd suggest these rosy ones...it'll take the edge off! :)

:spam::spam::spam::spam::spam::spam::spam::spam:

[Tap Dancer]

Don't give in and cut your hair. The person who suggested it can cut their own hair if they want to. It's insulting, IMO, to suggest that someone do that.

Maybe you can have a bake sale, run a small carnival, put on a show, etc. There are lots of fun ways to raise money. :)

[Tap Dancer]

I've considered cutting my hair for charity. I think it's a noble cause and hair is hair. It grows back and you might be surprised at how nice a change is. If you decide to cut it, make sure you have some great shears! I'd suggest these rosy ones...it'll take the edge off! :)
:spam:



You have 3 posts so far and your other 2 posts were about scissors. You worry me.

[egg99]

I was wondering, will the company who sells the bells give a discount in any way? That could shave off some of the price. I never realized bells were so expensive.


There's only a few companies in the UK that make and install bells, we're currently with the cheapest, some were suggesting tha augmentation would cost over £70,000! We're already getting a reduction as the members of our cathedral have offered to install the bells themselves, rather than having to pay extra for the company to bring their own men. I think £30,000 is the cheapest we're going to get it, unfortunatly!

[atlantaz3]

I vote for not cutting. It doesn't sound like you really want to, but peer pressure is taking effect which sad to say is easy at your age. (I'm not saying your age is bad - no disrespect intended.) I think there must be other ways to raise money - plus just how much money do they think you could raise by cutting your hair. Are you supposed to auction it off on ebay or some website? There are too many fundraising options available to have to resort to cutting off one's hair.

[Lixie]

You want it, you keep it. Please don't feel selfish or let anyone pressure you into cutting your hair if you want to keep it long! You can have both bell ringing and long hair as hobbies, right? :)

[GlassEyes]

It depends.

In some cultures, the giving up or renouncing of something you hold dear (such as an object of vanity) is considered a noble thing, often for religious purposes. If you think it would be a testament to how much you care about the bells (and the church besides), and worth ti, go for it.

HOWEVER, the others have other good points, such as why you should have to do this when the other's don't, and why YOU shouldl have to give up something near and dear while they just watch. They shouldn't put this kind of pressure on you to do anything of the sort when they aren't prepared to do it themselves. Ask not of others what you are unwilling to do yourself, I suppose...though that theory can be disproven many ways.

When it's all said and done, ti's your choice. But don't feel as if you HAVE to give something up (i.e. your hair) to show you care, even if you aren't as dedicated anymore. It should be a choice wholly out of kindness, not of guilty or a showing of merit.

[cobblersmaid]

I think it is wonderful that you feel that strongly, but please don't do it. When you think about it, the whole idea is very morbid and creepy. I am sure you can come up with a less sketchy way to get the money. Good luck!

[bte]

Why not have a year long sponsored hair growing instead? Prizes for the most growth etc.

I think the sponsored cutting suggestion is often made by people who don't understand that long haired people value their hair.

[Jim]

It's really up to you isn't it? If you feel strongly about the cause and can contribute, it is something to consider. Personally, I wouldn't do it for some bells. I might do it for some other cause though. I can't think of one right now but it isn't inconceivable.

Having said that, don't let anyone push you into it. If you feel that the personal reward of seeing those new bells would be fulfilling to you, then go for it. I would suggest two things however. First, that you set a minimum goal, and second, that the other bell ringers put up or shut up. For example, everyone shaves their head. I've seen this done for a cancer fund raiser. Or they shave half their heads... whatever.

Good luck with whatever you decide, but remember, is it worth it to you?

You have lovely hair by the way.

Jim

[Merlin]

It's your hair and therefore your call - I have no right to hold an opinion on this one way or another as you're an adult and can make your own choices.

One thing I would suggest you factor in though, for this or any other fundraising idea, is what percentage of the total will it raise? You say you've got ~30k to go - well you're not going to raise that doing cake sales or car washes. That puts you in the position of those churches with the big thermometer outside charting their failure to raise enough money for the new roof through jumble sales. You need to put a big dent in that somehow and I'm not sure you getting a haircut will do that for you. If you were in two minds and you had guaranteed spornsorship of £15k then you're going to think differently than if you were going to raise £50. "Local girl raises £50 for new bells by cutting her hair" gets you publicity but still leaves your goal unreachable. "Local girl raises £15 000 by cutting her hair" gets you publicity and 50% of your target. Frankly, and don't flame me people as I'm being cold-hearted here, if you think you might want to cut your hair off to raise something towards this money find what one of the 'specialist websites' will pay you to do it on camera because my guess is that will net you a lot more than the locals down your village hall might pay and you're doing this for the money!

A good fundraising approach is to see if anybody can manage something like a long-distance cycle or swim and get them sponsored to do it - 'end to end' rides are quite common, but how about riding from your church to the Whitechappel Bell Foundry or some such. The local papers will love it and you may find you can raise a lot of money in one big hit by getting your community behind the rider. You can piggy-back other things onto the ride event too.

If you want to raise money through your hair, here's a proposal (which I'm sure is against the LHC rules so I'll make it before a moderator catches me) for a version of the 'wear hair in such and such a way challenge'. If you can wear your hair in a different way, every day for a month, which is 30 days, I'll send you a cheque for £30 for your bell fund. You can post a daily pic here if you want, but I'll trust you if say you did it. You might find that as an idea you can get friends who know you to sponsor you too, you might even get other UK LHCers to sponsor you! If you can get 99 other people to play you've just made 10% of your target so long as you can come up with 30 different hairstyles - and you didn't have to cut a single hair.

[egg99]

Thank you Merlin! I appreciate the suggestions.
You're quite right, the part of my issue is that I'm not willing to part with my hair for something as small at £50. If I could earn a lot, then I'd probably be more willing to do it. I don't think you're being cold hearted at all, I think it's a very fair comment that I'd be more likely to get more money if I went through one of those websites.

I think a sponsered walk/run/cycle to somewhere church related would be a really nice idea, I'm sure people would be interested in that. I was discussing ideas with my Dad today, and he said that there's a tower near us that does a sponsered Teddy Bear Parachute Day once a year to raise money for charity. Basically, kids get to throw a teddy from the top of the tower with a makeshift parachute and see it float down. I thought that this would be a really nice idea. I think people here are quite right that there's plenty of options open.

I would LOVE to do something like get sponsered to wear my hair different everyday for a month, but unfortunatly I'm awful at updos so I don't think it would be fair for people to give their money for me to fail at doing something new after the first week. But I wonder if there's something similar to that that I could try...

[Elenna]

Last summer, I attended a small concert for a cancer patient. They raised about $40K. There were about 200 people that attended. I'm not privy to the costs involved for the bands, space, etc, but there was a silent auction for services, items and meals donated by local businesses.

[Demetrue]

Maybe you could do microbraids and have people donate a certain amount towards each braid - you could do 100 braids! I don't think a church would want money that a member had to raise by doing something for a f#ti$h website - I doubt your pastor would want to put a young female parishioner in that kind of situation. In fact, I'm sure that if your church is meant to have those bells, "God will provide", without putting you in an uncomfortable and questionable position.

[JamieLeigh]

I'm with the others on this one. Cutting off someone's hair is not even in the same category as say, a bake sale or a car wash. One day later, and the sale or the wash is over and everyone goes back to what they were doing the day before. But your hair will still be short even one year later...and if you love your hair as much as I love mine, it's an emotional decision. :(

[Xi]

As others have said, some people just don't understand how dear hair can be to a longhair. That's fine, but you're under no obligation to conform to their expectations -- if you're attached to your hair, that's that. No need for you to feel guilty because they don't understand how you feel.

One nice fundraiser I've seen: have sign-up sheets for freshly baked muffins one Sunday, and then let people pick them up after church the next week. That way you don't waste ingredients baking more than you need. You could repeat it as often as you liked.

Good luck -- I know from experience even kind people can be cruel about hair without meaning it. I'm sending encouragement and :grouphug: through cyberspace!

[Bene]

woah, it's totally bake sale time!!!


i'm sure they were thinking it would be cool, because it's an extreme act for a good cause. but man, that's wayyyy extreme. i'd ask them what they'd be willing to do in return. like, wear women's clothing for the amount of time it takes you to grow your hair back. not just women's clothing, but the whole 9. bras, panties, shoes... it'll make them think twice about it :D

[Feline]

About 30 years ago, there was a rash of public long-hair cuttings in shopping malls in this area (Wash DC metro). They were sponsored by salons and somehow were supposed to raise money for charity, and they drew quite a lot of media attention. At the time I was working in a dept store that had a salon in it, and every time I went near the place, the manager tried to talk me into "volunteering" for such a exhibition (my hair was about waist length at the time). Needless to say, I never did, and shortly thereafter the craze died a natural death, thank God. Exactly what thrill people get out of watching someone have their hair chopped off, I have no idea. Donating your hair for a cause may or may not be a good idea, it's up to you and only you, but making a public spectacle out of it is I think a very bad idea.

[lynlora]

Isilme, thanks for the message, the people who actually suggested I cut are guys with very short hair, so I guess they don't really appreciate it like we do!


How about you suggest that they shave their heads instead ?

[princess]

I think it is bake sale time too. And don't give in to people who suggest cutting your hair to raise money for charity. I think they are jealous of your long hair. It does take a long time to grow back and do not do something that you might regret later.