The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

The independent newspaper of the University of Iowa community since 1868

The Daily Iowan

Iowa City salon gives dancers and patients new dos

Morale+Captain+Assistants+give+participants+back+massages+at+the+24th+Annual+Dance+Marathon+put+on+by+the+University+of+Iowa+on+Saturday%2C+Feb.+3%2C+2018.+%28Matthew+Finley%2FThe+Daily+Iowan%29
The Daily Iowan; Photos by Matth
Morale Captain Assistants give participants back massages at the 24th Annual Dance Marathon put on by the University of Iowa on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2018. (Matthew Finley/The Daily Iowan)

A local salon has partnered with Dance Marathon to give both dancers and kids new looks.

Thompson and Co. Salon & Parlor came to Dance Marathon’s Big Event to help dancers donate hair that will be turned into wigs for children with cancer. At the event, called Short Hair Don’t Care, dancers and family members sat on stage with stylists behind them, wielding scissors and razors and chopping off hair.

Thompson Salon coordinator Lauren Marck led the event, giving a speech before the haircuts started about the salon’s efforts to help Dance Marathon. The salon has collected hair and donations from customers and stylists to give to Dance Marathon, and Marck said they do it for the people in Dance Marathon helping to give children with cancer hope.

“We’re trying to give as much as we can, even though it’s little compared to everything you guys have done, just so we can give as much back to our community as possible,” she said.

Senior and Assistant Morale Coordinator Sydney Luallen, part of that community, chopped off half the length of her hair to help support it. Her hair was too short last year to cut, so she grew it out just for this event.

“I’m just really inspired by this organization, and I know my hair will look so much better on a kid than it would on me, so I’m very willing to donate it to someone who needs it,” she said.

Twelve-year-old Natalie Moore, who dances with a friend’s family to support them, wasn’t planning on cutting her hair at first. But she later decided it was for a good cause.

“Kids like us, we get to go to school every day, and we get to have phones and go to all these events,” she said. “Kids with these diseases don’t get to do any of that, so I feel like if we support them and help them find a cure, then they can live their whole life just like us.”

More to Discover
About the Contributor
Brooklyn Draisey, Projects Editor

(she/her/hers)

Email: [email protected] Brooklyn Draisey is the Projects Editor at The Daily Iowan. She is a senior studying journalism and entrepreneurial management. She has worked as a news reporter, news editor, and managing editor during her time at the DI. She enjoys writing long-form, in-depth features.