Pigtails & Crewcuts, the 85-plus unit kids salon franchise, is partnering with Ronald McDonald House Atlanta to support families with children undergoing intensive medical treatment in Atlanta. On June 17, Pigtails & Crewcuts of Buckhead will host the first of a series of quarterly partnership events to provide a fun and memorable outing for children going through medical challenges and free haircuts for their families. Each event will include activities and refreshments, with the goal of providing a bit of respite for the entire family and bringing a sense of normalcy to children whose lives have been upended by a major illness.
“We’re a home away from home for families when they need it the most,” said Cori Weatherford, Family Services Manager at Ronald McDonald House. “These families, a lot of times, don’t take a minute to take care of themselves or the siblings of the patients. We’re excited because these events in partnership with Pigtails & Crewcuts give them that exact opportunity to be taken care of.”
Pigtails & Crewcuts has long supported clients looking to donate hair to organizations like Locks of Love and Wigs For Kids, with the Buckhead salon facilitating donation cuts since 2016. Over the years, Pigtails & Crewcuts has sent over 500 hair donations to Wigs For Kids alone, contributing to wigs for children experiencing hair loss.
“For many years, our salons have served as donation places for Wigs For Kids. If anyone comes in for a haircut and wants to donate their hair, they can do so as long as they meet the length stipulations,” said Hannah Swanson, Franchise Development Coordinator at Pigtails & Crewcuts. “Historically, the Buckhead salon used to compile those hair donations and physically put them on my desk to send out. Now, each individual location manages that directly. It’s been a wonderful national partnership for many years, but this new initiative takes it a monumental step further.”
After years of handling donation cuts, Charmaine Hayes, Salon Manager for Pigtails & Crewcuts of Buckhead, looked deeper into Wigs For Kids and the wig fitting and application process. Now, she is a Certified Service Provider, along with two salon stylists, Kat and Jose. They have become specially trained on how to measure a child’s head and crown for a properly fitting wig.
“Charmaine has been a stylist for decades and the manager at Buckhead for about ten years,” Swanson said. “She’s been a staple of our brand for a very long time, and this advanced certification just beautifully adds to the elite level of care and service she has already been providing to children for years.”
Once children are approved through the Wigs For Kids application, they can have their measurements taken by Hayes in a warm, familiar environment and sent to Wigs For Kids to begin the hairpiece production process. And when their custom wig arrives, they can return to Pigtails & Crewcuts to have it cut and styled to their exact liking.
“When a child loses their hair to cancer, alopecia or for any other medical reason, they often lose a piece of their identity,” Hayes said. “Providing a wig helps to restore not only their appearance, but their confidence, hope and smile, and I’m honored to be a part of that.”
“We don’t know for sure how many of our families will utilize the Wigs For Kids service, but we feel it will be a valuable resource for the families we serve who have oncology kids,” Weatherford said. “Going through something like that can drastically change your body and appearance. As a child, you have all of these questions, and other people may also be asking you questions that you don’t know how to answer. Nothing in your life feels normal anymore. Being able to ‘look normal’ and go about their day without anyone staring at them or wondering if they’re okay gives these kids a sense of normalcy, which is absolutely priceless.”
While the partnership with Ronald McDonald House is central to Atlanta, Pigtails & Crewcuts is also actively working to grow the Certified Service Provider program throughout the network, encouraging stylists across the country to earn their credentials and further contribute to the Wigs For Kids mission and bring normalcy to families in medical crisis across the country.
To donate directly to Ronald McDonald House Atlanta, click here.
To find out more information on costs to buy this franchise, please visit https://1851franchise.com/pigtails-and-crewcuts.
