There are many companies who make custom fitted real hair cranial prosthesis. Locks of Love (LOL) was first started in Dec. 1997 in connection with a for profit wig making company. The organization then obtained its 501c certification from the IRS. The charity began operating separately from the for profit retailer. This was spearheaded by Madonna Coffman a retired cardiac nurse who had a great deal of volunteer experience working for not for profits in the surrounding Palm Beach area. In her 20s Mrs. Coffman developed Alopecia after receiving a hepatitis vaccination. With medication and a doctors care, she recovered 15 years later. Then her 4-year old daughter developed alopecia and lost all her hair. Madonna said her hair loss was difficult to deal with but her daughter's was ten times harder. It was at this time that she quit all the other charity work and took on LOL as a full time volunteer. Her humble beginnings. Mrs. Coffman's garage contained bins of mail and hair donations. By securing donated office space from a local hospital and working with a manufacturer of the highest quality prosthetics that she could find, LOL was off and running. Since the beginning the charity has received a great deal of support by both the media and its volunteers throughout the country. LOL has been featured or mentioned on television shows like Oprah, 20/20, The View, Jay Leno, Maury Povich, Good Morning America, CBS Good Morning, CNN Espanol and Inside Edition and in national publications including USA Today, The NY Times, People, Seventeen, Glamour, CosmoGirl, Self, Redbook, Woman's Day, ElleGirl, Child Magazine, and Ladies Home Journal. Over 2,000 hair donations are received through the mail each week. 80% of our hair donors are good hearted children. The number of hairpieces produced has increased significantly since its inception, from 21 the first year to over 1,000. LOL has recipients in all 50 states and Canada and is working towards its goal to help every financially disadvantaged child suffering from long-term hair loss. |
