Demonstrating her strong sense of altruism and commitment to helping other children in need, John Quincy Adams student Sarah Cannet recently donated her hair to the Wigs for Kids charity.

Wigs for Kids, a nonprofit organization founded in 1981, provides prosthetic hair replacements for children suffering from hair loss and its accompanying damage to their self-esteem. Before Cannet’s trim, which was done at a salon, the shy but dedicated first-grader’s ponytail had been 12 inches long, but she was happy knowing her long hair would provide comfort to another student like herself.

“Sarah is exceptionally kindhearted,” said an impressed Phyllis Senia, one of Cannet’s two teachers at JQA along with Margaret Simon. “She is a star student in every way.”

The inspiring gift of her hair not only resulted in the admiration of her teachers and classmates, but also proved to be a bonding experience with her mother Julie, who undertook a charity trim at the same time, for Pantene Beautiful Lengths. “Sarah is always eager to help others, so when she said she wanted to donate her hair to help other kids, it became the perfect opportunity for us to do something very meaningful together,” said Julie Cannett. “Sarah knew that I had also donated my hair when I was pregnant with her, and that kind of brought it full circle for us. We are very proud of her.”