Locks of love.(charitable group provides hair for the bald)

On June 21, the Seattle Times reported the plight of 11-year-old Dominic Bizak of Kent, Washington. Dominic endured 20 months of teasing (and occasionally being mistaken for a girl) after deciding to let his hair grow to a length suitable for donation to Locks of Love. LOL is a charitable group that provides wigs for young people (ages 18 and under) who have lost their hair due to medical problems. The group's objective is to "help every financially disadvantaged child suffering from long-term hair loss."

Since receiving non-profit, charitable status in December 1997, LOL has collected chemically untreated hair (10 inches or more in length) for the manufacture and distribution of some 1,400 wigs. Around 140,000 hair strands are inserted into a skull cap, which is then fitted onto a youngster's head with a vacuum seal in a way that enables it to be worn even when swimming.

While Dominic was allowing his contribution to LOL to grow, he was occasionally ridiculed by both adults and peers. On one occasion when Dominic was playing soccer, the referee noted his hair and addressed Dominic's all-male team as "you ...