April 5, 2005

Local 8-year-old donates ponytail to Locks of Love

Ally Burr, 8-year-old daughter of Eric and Rebecca Burr of Arkansas City, gets her 13-inch pony tail cut off Monday afternoon by Cowley College Cosmetology Designer Becky Gregg at Cowley's Cosmetology School.

Burr, a second-grader at Adams Elementary School, decided to donate her hair to Locks of Love, a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children 18 years and younger suffering from long-term medical hair loss. Cosmetology students, Ally's mother and sister Kelsie, 4, also attended the cutting.

Ally Burr, left, poses with Cowley Cosmetology Designer Becky Gregg and the 13-inch lock of Ally's hair that will be donated to Locks of Love.

Rebecca said all Ally has ever had was a haircut to "trim dead ends. She's never had a haircut in her life," Rebecca said. Ally decided to cut her hair about a week ago. "I'm in soccer, so this will be cooler," Ally said. Getting ready for school in the mornings won't take as long, either. "The tangles are a distraction," she said. "I feel lighter. Now I won't be late for school." Locks of Love is located in Lake Worth, Fla.