Sisters Caroline and Mia McGlone are on a serious mission: to collect as many hats as they possible can.
"We made posters and donation boxes to put around the school to collect the hats for the Cut-a-Thon," said Caroline, who is 10 years old.
"We're going to try to sell them to get at least one wig for a kid," said 8-year-old Mia.
Their donation drive is in honor of a girl the McGlone sisters have never met, yet they know her story well. "Caps for Katie" is named after Katie Stevens, a former student at Central, who has alopecia. Alopecia is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks hair follicles, resulting in hair loss.
We first met Katie two years ago, when she was a fourth grader at Central. She wore a knit cap in class, made by her then-teacher Kathleen Simmons, to cover her balding head. Her classmates donned similar caps in show of support, and that's how Caps for Katie was born.
"Since the story aired two years ago, there's been a huge outpouring of support by the community," said Melissa Stevens, Katie's mom. "Katie was fine with being bald at that age, but now that she's in middle school, having hair and being just like everyone else is very important."
Melissa started doing research about getting a wig for Katie and learned a couple of things. Most insurance companies won't cover wigs unless they're cancer-related and wigs are expensive and can cost thousands of dollars. That's when she found Wigs for Kids, which helps all children struggling with hair loss. She hopes this weekend's Cut-a-Thon not only raises money for Wigs for Kids but also raises awareness in the community.
"I just want people to know about it so that when and if they ever came across someone with alopecia, they would know what that person is going through or what it is about," she said.
The Cut-a-Thon is being hosted by Robert Andrew Salon and Spa in Gambrills on Sunday, Feb. 6. For more information on the event and how you can help, click here.
