Reno couple donates to ‘Wigs for Kids’

RENO, Nev. (KOLO) - "It's not real common to have a couple donate like this," says Reno resident Dustin Cassiday.

He is part of a couple with Kevin Cassiday.

They are at The Beauty Project to make a special donation-a donation of hair to the "Wigs for Kids" Project.

"I feel like men's fashion has changed and kind of embraced long hair for men," says Dustin. "So it is easier for men to grow it out and donate now than maybe ten years ago when it wasn't the standard."

For one man perhaps, but two men at the same time?

"Yes this is the first duo couple that have donated at the same time," says Karma Yazzi, one of the few local stylist who helps cut hair for the program.

A first for Karma who has nine years' experience.

Dustin has been growing his hair for four years. This is his second donation.

Kevin says he got his hair cut back in 2019 just before his wedding. But that's when the styling stopped.

"So work got busy I didn't get a chance to cut it in the winter," says Kevin. "And then spring came around and COVID hit, and no one was getting haircuts. So at that point it was growing out, and Dustin had donated his hair before, and it was like I'll just grow it out and donate it again sometime."

Karma says most of the time those donating hair want it cut as close as possible to get the most possible hair.

And that was the request of these two.

"Oh 19 inches," says Karma as she takes a tape measure and places it scalp to the end of the strand of hair on Dustin. "Yea about the same all around 23 inches," she says after measuring Kevin's hair.

The minimum to donate is 12 inches.

She says she creates about 6 ponytails to get the most hair for a wig that is ultimately made and donated to a child with cancer or other condition where they've lost their hair.

Dustin and Kevin will take the ponytails, wrap them up and send them off to the "Wigs for Kids" organization. These days they can follow the processing of the hair with the help of a barcode.

"They say it takes four donations to make one wig, so we are halfway there," says Dustin.

This is the first new look for the two in four to five years.

Shorter hair, a feeling of accomplishment, some would say they clean up real nice-all for a good cause.