Girl Raises over $2K for Childhood Cancer Research

A 10-year-old girl in DuBois, Pennsylvania, is raising money and even using her own hair to help children battling cancer.

Emma Roy loves to help people and this year, she plans on doing it by chopping off some of her beautiful auburn colored locks, according to the Tri-County Sunday.

This week, she will donate ten to 12 inches of her hair to THON, a Penn-state student-run philanthropy that spreads awareness and provides support for children fighting cancer.

In January, Emma hosted a Dine For a Cure fundraiser that raised over $2,000 for pediatric cancer research.

“We sold 255 dinners and all the raffle money is also going to pediatric cancer research, too,” she said.

At the spaghetti dinner Thursday, there will be a silent auction and a hair auction in the Student Union of Penn State DuBois.

The event will be a send-off for dancers who will participate in a 46-hour dance marathon from February 21 to the 23.

In 1973, the first marathon was held inside Penn State’s HUB ballroom where people danced for 30 hours and raised over $2,000, according to THON’s website.

Once she cuts it off, Emma’s hair will be donated to Wigs for Kids, a non-profit organization that creates wigs for children who suffer from hair loss.

“Each prosthesis is hand-tied and is made completely from human hair. We make sure they look just like a child’s own hair,” said founder Jeffrey Paul.

Even though cutting her own hair will be tough, Emma said it is worth it if she can help someone else feel good about themselves.

“I do not want to see it go, but I know it’s going to a good cause so I am happy about that,” she commented.

The Girl Scout, who is also a member of the Kindness Club at her school, said she is excited about organizing and hosting more fundraisers in the future.

“I definitely want to do it again when I’m older because it felt exciting to do it and know that I was doing it for a good cause. It felt special,” she noted, adding, “It made me feel special that I was helping other people.”