REPORT: $6 Million Worth Of Hair Donations To Locks Of Love Have Gone Missing

[Seedersandleechers]

Source: Businessinsider.com


Hold onto your ponytails: A new report alleges that Locks of Love — a well-known charity that makes wigs for children suffering from medical hair loss — has disclosure inadequacies that could total up to $6 million annually.

Locks of Love reportedly receives around 104,000 hair donations per year to make "hair prosthetics," according to the report by Nonprofit Investor, an organization that evaluates charities.

That should be enough to produce around 2,080 hairpieces, taking into account that 80% of donated hair can't be used (too short, gray, or bleached), and that it takes six to 10 donations to make a Locks of Love wig.

But in 2011, Locks of Love made just 317 of its custom-fitted wigs, according to Nonprofit Investor.



Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/locks-of-love-could-be-missing-hair-2013-5

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I've known so many high school girls who have donated their hair to this organization. Is it a scam. ?

[MjolnirTime]

1. is the rest of it on rich ladies' heads somewhere?

[Ian David]

7. Or maybe their CEO has a hair fetish, and he just rolls around in it masturbating.

What?

It could happen!

[Quantess]

14. ...um...what?!

[davidthegnome]

16. Seriously huge unrec.

Did not need that mental image!

[valerief]

2. It appears EVERYTHING is a scam today. nt

[Journeyman]

3. Someone should have put a lock on those Locks. . .

[Poll_Blind]

4. WEAVE THIEVES! nt

PB

[Spitfire of ATJ]

5. First I've heard of a black market for hot hair.

[kas125]

6. Everyone thinks they give wigs to kids with cancer, but they don't. In 2004

my mom had cancer and I had hair down to my waist. I was going to donate it to Locks of Love, but read their website first. It plainly said that they only give wigs to kids with alopecia, permanent hair loss, not to kids with cancer. I donated my hair to http://www.wigsforkids.org/ instead, an organization that DOES make wigs for kids with cancer. I've tried to tell people whenever I hear Locks of Love mentioned, I think I've even posted about it here.

[magellan]

21. +1 - Great info!

From their website: "For over 30 years, Wigs for Kids has been providing Hair Replacement Systems and support for children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, radiation therapy, Alopecia, Trichotillomania, burns and other medical issues at no cost to children or their families."

I'll be sharing this, thanks!

[Raine]

22. I heard that too, I'm glad you're getting the word out. It's

a shame that the most well known one is pretty much a scam. I cringe whenever they have a news story on TV about people cutting off their hair to donate to Locks of Love.

[RILib]

23. there are still a few people who don;t know about

the Susan Komen group and their half a mil a year socialite CEO. I am still seeing pink product tie-ins.

[KamaAina]

27. And their boneheaded attempt to defund Planned Parenthood

[question everything]

25. The rationale, I think, is that kids who lose hair to cancer

once they are done with chemo, their hair should grow again. While having a disease this could mean a permanent loss of hair.

Still it is good that they disclose it so that donors like you can make an informed decision.

Hope your mom is well and on the road to recovery.

[kas125]

29. Aww, thank you so much for the thoughts, but my mom didn't make it. She

only lived for eleven weeks after her diagnosis, so donating my hair didn't get her the good karma I was hoping for. I do appreciate your good wishes, though.

[question everything]

30. I am so sorry for your loss

I hope that you were left with cherished memories.

[SoapBox]

8. That is one big old Hairball, to lose track of...

Scam, Scam...Who's running today's Scam?

Everywhere a Scam.

[bunnies]

12. Yep.

Its long been known that locks of love sells much of the hair they get. I thought it was common knowledge.

[DainBramaged]

13. Let's try again, It was probably sold to brokers who make human hair wigs for adults

I donated a 15" + pony tail in 2009 to them well after this picture was taken). They told me that the sale of ALL hair helps them to make wigs for kids.

Something tells me they were more interested in selling hair than making wigs.

[cosmicone]

10. Donald Trump - prime suspect! n/t

[Thor_MN]

17. I don't know that the thing on his head is human hair...

I'm not even sure it is from this planet...

[A Little Weird]

11. Not directly related, but

I watched the documentary "Good Hair" a few years ago. It was an eye-opener - I had no idea that there was such a lucrative market for human hair. It's actually pretty interesting if you haven't seen it. I vowed to stop complaining about my hair after I saw what African-American women go through.

[Ruby the Liberal]

15. Hrm. I donated 14" to them about 6 years ago.

Was told at the time 10-12 of such donations to make a full wig, but not that it was children only. Was told it was medical - but all ages, and all ailments that qualify.

This doesn't sound good.

[kas125]

18. If someone told you that, they lied. My mom had cancer in 2004 and only lived for 11 weeks after

being diagnosed. At the time, I had hair to my waist and thought maybe it would get her some good karma if I donated it so I looked into it. I learned within 30 seconds of going to Locks of Love's website that they don't give wigs to people with cancer like everyone thinks they do and I donated to Wigs for Kids, wigsforkids.org, instead who does give wigs to cancer patients. Locks of Love only makes wigs for people with permanent hair loss from alopecia, not people who have cancer. I know that everyone thinks they do and when someone has cancer, whole schools of kids cut their hair to donate to them and I have tried for nine years to change what people believe about them. Hopefully, this will make more people aware.

[Ruby the Liberal]

19. Well, you have my attention.

Thanks for that...

[Javaman]

20. Be on the look out for thieves dressed as Chewbacca. nt

[RushIsRot]

24. Hair today, gone tomorrow.

[Gothmog]

26. My Youngest just donated to this group a couple of months ago

My youngest child just made a donation this this group a couple of months ago. I hope that this group is legit

[KamaAina]

28. Hair today, gone tomorrow

[daleo]

31. I think there are a lot of scammy charities

Charities that are based on sympathetic victims seem more susceptible to scams. A lot of money ends up in administration, or endless fundraising.