After two years of on-and-off COVID lockdowns, the long, grey, naturally-curly locks of Ian Sinclair are gone.
Sinclair, owner of Square Deal Neil’s appliance and electronics store in Southampton (Saugeen Shores), missed his regular hairstylist, Gwen Merriam, so much so that he refused to go to anyone else and the result was, long tresses harkening back to the 60s.
When he, and his wife, Edith and family, decided it was ‘long enough’ in hair and time, they decided to also make it a cause. The Sinclairs realized what a difficult time the past two years have been during COVID restrictions and lockdowns and that mental health had become an issue for many in Grey Bruce so they decided to create a FUNdraiser. Ian Sinclair would lose his locks if people donated to Canadian Mental Health (CMHA)Grey Bruce, where all funds would remain for mental health programs.
The goal was to raise $1,000. Little did the family have any idea! The campaign began on April 18th with the Go-fund me Pony(tail)up Campaign that ran through to yesterday, April 30th.
On Saturday, April 30th, the family, friends and supporters met at the Royal Canadian Legion in Tara (Arra-Elderslie), the community where the family has lived for generations. There they met for a rousing ‘hair-cutting’ party.
Not only was Sinclair’s long-time stylist Merriam there to ‘do the deed’, but several ‘friends’ were also there with cash donations for the opportunity to cut a lock off Sinclair’s hair. Local photographer-comedian Jen O’Reilly, formerly with Yuk Yuk’s, hosted the event and had people laughing out loud at the audience-live participation antics.
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The fun campaign not only raised more than $12,500 ( a final total not yet in) for local mental health programs, but Sinclair’s ‘virgin’ hair (a minimum of 12 inches for proper hair donation length – curly hair should be pulled straight for an accurate measurement; cannot be permed, colour-treated, or highlighted) will go to the wig-making program for those who have experienced hair loss due to chemo or other treatments or medical problems.
At the end of the event, with his head shorn of curly locks, Sinclair said that he was humbled by the response. “We had donations from around home, throughout Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba and as far away as Illinois. It has truly been a humbling experience to see how people come together. I could not however, done this without the support of my wife, Edith and my family, but it was for such a worthy cause.”
