‘Shear’ generosity prompts girl to cut hair

JACKSON — Some people would have called it a "hair-raising" event. For 8-year-old Gabriella Miele, it was an act of "shear" generosity.

Recently, the third-grader from Jackson visited Feathers Hair Specialists in New Providence, where she got 12 inches of her brunette hair cut off to help children who have lost their own hair.

Her mom, Denise, a hair stylist at Feathers, did the honors and then helped Gabriella donate her hair to Locks of Love, a Florida-based not-for-profit organization that provides wigs for financially disadvantaged children with medical hair loss.

"My mom showed me an article about another girl who cut her hair for Locks of Love, and I told her that I wanted to do it, too!" said Gabriella, who is in the third grade at the Elms Elementary School. "I can’t wait to grow my hair long so that I can do it again."

Gabriella is the daughter of Denise and Scott DeVito of Jackson.

"I’m incredibly proud of Gabriella," said Denise, who has cut other clients’ hair for Locks of Love. "It took two years to grow her hair this long and cutting it was a very selfless thing to do. Besides, it will be a whole lot easier to dry."

Locks of Love manufactures custom-made hairpieces that are vacuum-fitted for use by children with complete loss of scalp hair. Children can swim, shower and even do gymnastics.

Hair donations should be 10 inches or longer, clean and dry, bundled in a pony tail or braid, and free from chemical damage.