Local kids prove giving back has no age limit

COOLVILLE, Ohio. (WTAP) - Two local kids are showing us that giving back doesn’t have an age limit.

Chelsea Life and her sons Eli and Colton all-together donated over 40 inches of hair to charity.

When asked how it felt getting it all cut off, Colton said, “It felt pretty light.”

Mrs. Life said she’s both impressed and proud that her boys committed to the act of kindness for so long.

She said, “I am very proud of them for sticking with something. It was a two year process for a seven and a six year old at the beginning…,”

This all started when Eli found a video about a kid who lost his hair to chemo.

He remembered thinking, “Well there’s more kids like him so like my hair’s long already and you can donate long hair so I’ll go ahead and donate.”

Eli’s mission to help inspired both his brother and his mom to join.

While they were in it together, it didn’t come without its challenges. Some kids teased Eli about his long hair.

Mrs. Life said, “I think it honestly affected me more because I was getting so frustrated that it kept on happening every day at the beginning of the year and he was just kind of like ‘well my other friends stood up for me and it doesn’t matter and they don’t need to know why my hair is long. I know why it’s long and that’s what matters.’”

When it came time for the big chop, the heart of the mission kept the boys on track.

Eli said, “I was kind of scared to get my hair cut but I just kept thinking of the kids that have cancer and stuff. Like I can’t just stop.”

Both Eli and Colton plan on continuing the cycle of growing and donating their hair for charity until they go bald.

It’s a spirit Mrs. Life hopes stays with them.

“It’s humbling to see them thinking that much of others at such a young age and I hope that it carries into adulthood,” she said.

The organization they donated to is called Children With Hair Loss, which focuses on giving hair replacements to kids and young adults who lose hair due to medical issues.

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