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{{Short description|Nonprofit charity based in United States}}{{infobox organization
⚫ ] ] in ].]]
| name = Locks of Love

| logo = locksoflovelogo.png
'''Locks of Love''' is a ] ] based in the ]. The organization accepts donations of human hair and money with the stated intention of making wigs for Canadian and American children in need due to medical conditions that have caused them to permanently lose their hair.
| alt = Logo of Locks of Love
| image = locksoflovefaces.png
| status = ]
| type = ]<ref name= 990-2018>"". ''Locks of Love Inc.'' ]. November 30, 2018.</ref>
| headquarters = ], U.S.<ref name= 990-2018/>
| coordinates = {{coords | 26.675636 | -80.051663 | display = inline, title}}
| founded = {{start date and age|1997|05|28}}<ref name= corp>"" ''Florida Division of Corporations''. State of Florida. Retrieved October 21, 2020.</ref>
| founder = Madonna W. Coffman<ref name=ourstory>"". ''Locks of Love''. Retrieved October 21, 2020.</ref>
| purpose = To provide custom-made hair prosthetics to disadvantaged children to age of twenty-one, who suffered hair loss as a result of various medical conditions.<ref name= 990-2018/>
| tax_id = 65-0755522<ref name= irseos>"" ''Tax Exempt Organization Search''. ]. Retrieved October 21, 2020.</ref>
| employees = 6<ref name= 990-2018/>
| employees_year = 2017
| volunteers = 77<ref name= 990-2018/>
| volunteers_year = 2017
| revenue = $513,103<ref name= 990-2018/>
| revenue_year = 2018
| expenses = $724,897<ref name= 990-2018/>
| expenses_year = 2018
| leader_name = Madonna W. Coffman<ref name= 990-2018/>
| leader_title = ]
| leader_name2 = Linda Borum<ref name= 990-2018/>
| leader_title2 = ]
| website = {{URL|https://locksoflove.org}}
}}
'''Locks of Love''' is a ] ] ] that provides custom-made hair prosthetics to disadvantaged children up to the age of 21 who have suffered hair loss as a result of medical conditions, such as ], ], and ].<ref name= 990-2018/> They are provided to the children free of charge,<ref name= faq/> and they may receive a new one every two years until they turn 21 years old.<ref name=getinvolved>"". ''Locks of Love''. Retrieved October 21, 2020.</ref> Locks of Love says that, despite rumors to the contrary, children and their families are never charged for the hair prosthetics they receive.<ref name=faq/> Locks of Love accepts donations of ], and it also accepts financial donations.<ref name=getinvolved/>


==History== ==History==
]
Locks of Love was originally connected to a for-profit retailer. The charity attained 501(c)(3) Status in December 1997 under the leadership of now-president Madonna W. Coffman (Coffman had suffered from ] in her 20s, and her daughter lost all of her hair to the condition at age 4).<ref name="locksoflove.org/history">{{cite web|url=http://www.locksoflove.org/history.html |title=History |publisher=Locks of Love |date= |accessdate= March 11, 2012}}</ref> By September 2006, Locks of Love had provided about 2,000 wigs to recipients for free or at a reduced price.<ref name="hayt">{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/06/fashion/06locks.html|author=Elizabeth Hayt |title=Lather, Rinse, Donate. |publisher=The New York Times |date=September 6, 2007 |accessdate=March 11, 2012}}</ref> Locks of Love was founded by Madonna W. Coffman on May 28, 1997.<ref name= corp/><ref name= ourstory/> Coffman was a registered nurse who had suffered from ] in her twenties. Coffman's daughter also had alopecia and lost all her hair at the age 4. Locks of Love received a determination of its 501(c)(3) status from the ] in December 1997.<ref name="locksoflove.org/history">"". ''Locks of Love''. Retrieved March 11, 2012.</ref> By September 2006, Locks of Love had provided about 2,000 wigs to recipients completely free of charge.<ref name="hayt">Hayt, Elizabeth (September 6, 2007). "". ''The New York Times''. Retrieved March 11, 2012.</ref>


⚫ ] ] in ]]]
Locks of Love representatives are frequent guests on '']'' and other daytime television shows, where they provide haircuts to guests and audience members. The organization was formed to help children with several conditions that cause hair loss, including alopecia, burn trauma, and cancer treatment. Most of their wigs go to children with alopecia though cancer patients come in second just not nearly as high. The wigs are either free or sold on a sliding scale based on the family's financial abilities. Some children choose to sponsor Locks of Love inside of school and donate their hair when it is long enough.<ref name="locksoflove.org/faq">{{cite web|url=http://www.locksoflove.org/faq.html#Aa8 |title=FAQ |publisher=Locks of Love |date= |accessdate=June 1, 2011}}</ref>


==Tax deductions== ==Tax deductions==
Financial donations to Locks of Love are tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the extent of the law.<ref name= p526>" (pdf). ''Internal Revenue Service''. Retrieved June 1, 2011.</ref><ref name=faq>"". ''Locks of Love''. Retrieved October 21, 2020.</ref> The Internal Revenue Service considers hair to be a body part, and donations of body parts are not considered ] by the Internal Revenue Service.<ref name= p526/> The cost of the haircut, however, may be a tax-deductible charitable contribution.<ref name= p526/>
As the hair is considered to be a body part and is analogous to blood, any hair donations are not ] according to IRS guidelines but financial donations are deductible.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p526.pdf |title=2010 Publication 526 |format=PDF |date= |accessdate=June 1, 2011}}</ref>


==Criticisms== ==Operations==
The best quality hair donated to Locks of Love is sent to a wig manufacturer, Taylormade hair Replacement in ]. The highest quality ] is used to make a wig for a child. Gray hair, overly processed hair, too-short hair, bleached hair, and hair that is otherwise not high enough quality for a child's wig is sold, and the proceeds are used to further the organization's mission, such as grants for medical research into alopecia.<ref name="hayt"/> In 2007, Locks of Love said that about 80 percent of the hair donated to it is not suitable to be made into a child's wig.<ref name="hayt"/>


Locks of Love has received criticism of poor accountability practices. '']'' and '']'' report that up to ]6 million of hair donations are unaccounted for by the charity.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forbes.com/sites/quora/2013/05/13/locks-of-love-6-million-of-hair-donations-unaccounted-for-each-year/ |title=Locks Of Love: $6 Million Of Hair Donations Unaccounted For Each Year |last1=Chao |first1=Kent |date=May 13, 2013 |publisher='']'' |accessdate=April 21, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/locks-of-love-controversy_n_3269078.html |title=Locks Of Love Has More Than $6 Million Worth Of Donated Hair That Is Unaccounted For: Report |last1= Goldberg |first1=Eleanor |date=May 14, 2013 |publisher='']'' |accessdate=April 21, 2014}}</ref> In 2013, '']'' and '']'' reported that up to ]6{{nbsp}}million-worth of hair donations are unaccounted for by the charity each year.<ref name= forbes>Chao, Kent (May 13, 2013). "". '']''. Retrieved April 21, 2014.</ref>{{ugc|reason=The Forbes post is sourced from Quora.|date=December 2022}}<ref name= huffpost>Goldberg, Eleanor (May 14, 2013). "". '']''. Retrieved April 21, 2014.</ref> '']'' pointed out that the discrepancies can be attributed to the difficulty of valuing hair and that Locks of Love's tax filing shows no income that would result from ] hair sales.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Snopes Staff |date=2015-03-03 |title=Does Locks of Love Sell Donated Hair? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/donated-hair/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=] |language=en}}</ref>


During its 2018 fiscal year, Locks of Love received $513,103 of revenue, and it incurred $724,897 of expenses.<ref name= 990-2018/>
Marc Owens, the former director of the tax-exempt division of the ] stated that, "there are just so many omissions, that it's hard to say for certain that any of the data on the return is accurate.” <ref>{{cite web|title=Bay Area Group Questions Donations To Locks Of Love|url=http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2013/05/15/bay-area-group-questions-donations-to-locks-of-love/|publisher=CBS SF Bay Area|accessdate=15 May 2013}}</ref>


⚫ == Notable donors ==
According to its tax returns, Locks of Love made $1.9 million from hair sales from 2001 to 2006, and took in another $3.4 million in donations. Besides paying for wigs, the money goes to overhead and other costs, including grants for alopecia research. Locks of Love sends the best of the hair it receives to a wig manufacturer, Taylormade Hair Replacement in ], which sorts the selection still further, rejecting up to half.<ref name="hayt"/>
] (background) and ] (foreground) in the ]'s ]. The hair did not clog the instrument panel, as was feared.]]


After launching aboard the ], ] ] arranged to donate her ponytail to Locks of Love. Fellow astronaut ] cut her hair aboard the ], and the ponytail was brought back to Earth by the ] crew.<ref>"". ''CollectSpace.com''. December 20, 2006. Retrieved June 8, 2007.</ref>
Locks of Love emailed a statement to ''The Huffington Post'', but did not address the claim.<ref></ref>


⚫ All-American football player and Chicago Bears first-round draft pick ]'s maternal uncle suffered from ] as a child, underwent ] while he was in second grade, and lost his hair in the process. At nine years old, his uncle died. He was mentioned often in family discussions.<ref name="uwbadgers3">Mason (April 23, 2010). "". ''University of Wisconsin''. Archived from on December 29, 2010.</ref> Carimi thought he would do something "that wouldn't take a lot of my time but would help other people". He grew his hair for 20 months, until it was long enough to donate to Locks of Love in 2010.<ref name="uwbadgers3"/>
⚫ == Notable donors ==


Professional wrestler ] has stated that he donates his hair to Locks of Love once a year.<ref>BirdHands on Youtube (2018-03-21). . {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190616152832/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlRfFL8RkSw |date=2019-06-16 }}</ref>
⚫ All American football player (and Chicago Bears first-round draft pick) ]'s maternal uncle suffered from ] as a child, underwent ] while he was in second grade, and lost his hair in the process. At nine years old, his uncle died. He was mentioned often in family discussions.<ref name="uwbadgers3">{{cite web|url=http://www.uwbadgers.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082310aaa.html|author=Brian Mason |title=Lots of locks means lots of love from Carimi; Wisconsin senior donates hair to charity aimed at improving life for ill children |publisher=UWBadgers.com |date=April 23, 2010 |accessdate=February 10, 2011}}</ref> Carimi thought he would do something "that wouldn't take a lot of my time but would help other people." He grew his hair out for 20 months, until it was long enough in 2010 to donate to Locks of Love.<ref name="uwbadgers3"/>


National Hockey League player ] has grown his hair long since the start of his professional hockey career, so he can donate it to Locks of Love.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ducks.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=469182 |title=Parros Cuts Hair for a Cause - Anaheim Ducks |publisher=Ducks.nhl.com |date= |accessdate=June 1, 2011}}</ref> ] player ] has grown his hair long since the start of his professional hockey career, so he can donate it to Locks of Love.<ref>"". '']''. December 17, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2011.</ref>


==See also== ==See also==
{{Commons category}} {{Commons category}}
* ]
* ]
* ] * ]


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==External links== ==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.locksoflove.org}} * {{Official website|https://locksoflove.org}}
* *
* *
* *
*


] ]
] ]
]
]

Latest revision as of 19:55, 10 November 2023

Nonprofit charity based in United States
Locks of Love
Logo of Locks of Love
FoundedMay 28, 1997; 27 years ago (1997-05-28)
FounderMadonna W. Coffman
Type501(c)(3)
Tax ID no. 65-0755522
Legal statusNonprofit organization
PurposeTo provide custom-made hair prosthetics to disadvantaged children to age of twenty-one, who suffered hair loss as a result of various medical conditions.
HeadquartersWest Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates26°40′32″N 80°03′06″W / 26.675636°N 80.051663°W / 26.675636; -80.051663
PresidentMadonna W. Coffman
General managerLinda Borum
Revenue$513,103 (2018)
Expenses$724,897 (2018)
Employees6 (2017)
Volunteers77 (2017)
Websitelocksoflove.org

Locks of Love is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity that provides custom-made hair prosthetics to disadvantaged children up to the age of 21 who have suffered hair loss as a result of medical conditions, such as alopecia, burn trauma, and cancer treatment. They are provided to the children free of charge, and they may receive a new one every two years until they turn 21 years old. Locks of Love says that, despite rumors to the contrary, children and their families are never charged for the hair prosthetics they receive. Locks of Love accepts donations of human hair, and it also accepts financial donations.

History

Girl donating her hair

Locks of Love was founded by Madonna W. Coffman on May 28, 1997. Coffman was a registered nurse who had suffered from alopecia in her twenties. Coffman's daughter also had alopecia and lost all her hair at the age 4. Locks of Love received a determination of its 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service in December 1997. By September 2006, Locks of Love had provided about 2,000 wigs to recipients completely free of charge.

A 2007 'hair donation day' at the American Aviano Air Base in Italy

Tax deductions

Financial donations to Locks of Love are tax-deductible as charitable contributions to the extent of the law. The Internal Revenue Service considers hair to be a body part, and donations of body parts are not considered tax deductible by the Internal Revenue Service. The cost of the haircut, however, may be a tax-deductible charitable contribution.

Operations

The best quality hair donated to Locks of Love is sent to a wig manufacturer, Taylormade hair Replacement in Millbrae, California. The highest quality long hair is used to make a wig for a child. Gray hair, overly processed hair, too-short hair, bleached hair, and hair that is otherwise not high enough quality for a child's wig is sold, and the proceeds are used to further the organization's mission, such as grants for medical research into alopecia. In 2007, Locks of Love said that about 80 percent of the hair donated to it is not suitable to be made into a child's wig.

In 2013, Forbes and The Huffington Post reported that up to US$6 million-worth of hair donations are unaccounted for by the charity each year. Snopes pointed out that the discrepancies can be attributed to the difficulty of valuing hair and that Locks of Love's tax filing shows no income that would result from black market hair sales.

During its 2018 fiscal year, Locks of Love received $513,103 of revenue, and it incurred $724,897 of expenses.

Notable donors

Sunita L. Williams (background) and Joan E. Higginbotham (foreground) in the International Space Station's Destiny laboratory. The hair did not clog the instrument panel, as was feared.

After launching aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, astronaut Sunita Williams arranged to donate her ponytail to Locks of Love. Fellow astronaut Joan Higginbotham cut her hair aboard the International Space Station, and the ponytail was brought back to Earth by the STS-116 crew.

All-American football player and Chicago Bears first-round draft pick Gabe Carimi's maternal uncle suffered from leukemia as a child, underwent chemotherapy while he was in second grade, and lost his hair in the process. At nine years old, his uncle died. He was mentioned often in family discussions. Carimi thought he would do something "that wouldn't take a lot of my time but would help other people". He grew his hair for 20 months, until it was long enough to donate to Locks of Love in 2010.

Professional wrestler The Honky Tonk Man has stated that he donates his hair to Locks of Love once a year.

National Hockey League player George Parros has grown his hair long since the start of his professional hockey career, so he can donate it to Locks of Love.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Locks of Love Inc." Florida Division of Corporations. State of Florida. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  2. ^ "Our Story". Locks of Love. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  3. ^ "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". Locks of Love Inc. Internal Revenue Service. November 30, 2018.
  4. "Locks of Love Inc." Tax Exempt Organization Search. Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  5. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". Locks of Love. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  6. ^ "Get Involved". Locks of Love. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
  7. "History". Locks of Love. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  8. ^ Hayt, Elizabeth (September 6, 2007). "Lather, Rinse, Donate". The New York Times. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  9. ^ "Publication 526: Charitable Contributions (pdf). Internal Revenue Service. Retrieved June 1, 2011.
  10. Chao, Kent (May 13, 2013). "Locks Of Love: $6 Million Of Hair Donations Unaccounted For Each Year". Forbes. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  11. Goldberg, Eleanor (May 14, 2013). "Locks Of Love Has More Than $6 Million Worth Of Donated Hair That Is Unaccounted For: Report". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  12. Snopes Staff (2015-03-03). "Does Locks of Love Sell Donated Hair?". Snopes. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  13. "Astronaut cuts her hair in space for charity". CollectSpace.com. December 20, 2006. Retrieved June 8, 2007.
  14. ^ Mason (April 23, 2010). "Lots of locks means lots of love from Carimi: Wisconsin senior donates hair to charity aimed at improving life for ill children". University of Wisconsin. Archived from the original on December 29, 2010.
  15. BirdHands on Youtube (2018-03-21). Wrestling Shoot Interview Honky Tonk Man on Abdullah The Butcher at WWE HOF. Archived 2019-06-16 at the Wayback Machine
  16. "Parros Cuts Hair for a Cause". Anaheim Ducks. December 17, 2007. Retrieved June 1, 2011.

External links

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