Their motives are "clear-cut," to help children in need in a unique way--by donating their hair. For the second year in a row, the Schwarting Elementary School Student Council sponsored "Locks of Love," and this year, nine brave souls volunteered to have inches of hair cut off their heads.

The donated locks will be used by "Locks of Love," a Florida based organization, to make hairpieces for children with medical hair loss. It takes twelve ponytails to make one hair wig. To ease their apprehension, Maximus Hair Salon in Merrick cut and restyled volunteers' hair free of charge.

"It's just a nice experience for everyone involved," said Student Council Advisor Donna Pessah, who coordinated the event. In her pitch for possible donors, she handed out fliers to anyone in the school community with long hair. Her enthusiasm for the endeavor was apparently contagious--a day after she told Carolyn Gambella, an employee of the local Fleet Bank, about the event, Gambella also volunteered.

Other participants included Schwarting fifth-grader Doriet Fischer, third-grader Alice Bartoldus, two kindergarteners, Caitlin Palu and Danielle Harrington, Packard eighth-grader Christina Nardi, parent Claire Goldfarb, Linda Russo, sister of Schwarting teacher Dina Milito, and East Meadow student Jillian Cleary, a family friend of Pessah.

"After hearing about the program last year, I waited all year to have my hair cut so I could participate," said Russo. "Although all of the participants were a bit anxious, their reasons for agreeing to cut their hair were obvious," Pessah said. "It's a good cause and they want to help others."