Lowell woman proves you can make a difference at any age

By STEPH TAHTINEN

Mt. Pleasant News

Elsie Hobbs has shown that it?s never too late to make a difference.

When the 76-year-old resident of Lowell sat down to have her hair cut at noon on Friday, she wasn?t just looking to have a new hairstyle. She wanted to help someone else by donating her hair to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides wigs for children who have lost their hair due to medical conditions.

?I thought it would be a good idea,? said Hobbs, who wanted to help someone who needed the hair more than she did.

Hobbs has never donated her hair before, but she said that she will sometimes grow it out to see how long it will get. She couldn?t remember the last time she had her hair cut, but said it felt like it was taking forever to grow long enough.

?I was ready to put something on it to make it grow faster,? she said.

Locks of Love requires a minimum of 10 inches to donate. When Hobbs and her daughter measured her ponytail the night before, it was about 13 inches.

Although her hair was long enough to make a wig, Hobbs joked about the gray color, saying, ?They?ll probably have to dye it.?

After the ponytail was snipped off, her hair came just below her ears, rather than to the middle of her back.

?I feel like I?ve been scalped!? she laughed.

After her haircut, Hobbs filled out a form to put in an envelope with her donation to send to Locks of Love.

For more information about Locks of Love, visit www.locksoflove.org.