Lily Peterson nervously walked through the doors of Leedz Salon, 2536 Lincoln Way, with her mother by her side.

A solitary stylist waited for the teenager. Fifteen-year-old Peterson said she had planned, prepared and anticipated this appointment for more than six months. There were no other clients, no other hairdressers in the salon today – this day was special.

The night before, Peterson had washed her long brown hair. She had grown her locks until they fell past the middle of her back – just a few more inches and she would have been able to sit on them.

The stylist pulled out a pair of shiny shears, grabbed Peterson’s ponytail at the nape of her neck, and with one snip, the ponytail was detached from her head.

As Peterson held the mass of hair that was once part of her, tears streamed down her cheeks. Peterson said she made the right decision, however. Soon these strands would be bound together to adorn a sick child’s balding head.

Every year, thousands of donors give the gift of hair to help children who have lost their own. Wigs for Kids, a national non-profit charity, creates individual hairpieces from the donated locks. The wigs are provided at no cost to children suffering from medical conditions that have caused their hair to fall out.

It takes the donated time, services, and hair of several different individuals to construct a Wigs for Kids hairpiece. At Leedz Salon, owner and stylist Doug Ziminski donates his services. Every month he receives two to four clients who donate, he said. In return for their hair, Ziminski provides a free cut and style to participants.

“We should reward [them],” Ziminski said, recalling his first Wigs for Kids donor.

A client’s daughter came to him to get her hair cut for the charity after hearing about it on television, he said. When the client told Ziminski about Wigs for Kids, he thought it was an excellent way for his industry to get involved in “something meaningful.”

“One of the things I’m into is raising the bar in the [cosmetology] industry,” Ziminski said. “The guidance counselors [in high schools] paint this industry as not reputable.”

Ziminski said he takes every opportunity to promote the organization. He said many of the Wigs for Kids participants learn of the program through the news.

Peterson said she remembers the Wigs for Kids donor she saw on a news program six months ago who convinced her to get involved, she said.

“It’s cool that you can get such a dramatic change while being able to help someone,” Peterson said. “It’s a fun experience.”

Ziminski wants all Wigs for Kids donors to have a good experience, so he makes the event memorable, he said. The salon takes before and after pictures, and often invites donors to be part of promotional events.

“I want the participants to know they are doing something valuable,” he said.

Once Leedz Salon collects about 10 pounds of hair, or about 15 ponytails, the hair is sent to the Wigs for Kids manufacturer. The first step is now complete.

Husband and wife hair designers Jeffrey and Zina Paul of Rocky River, Ohio, created Wigs for Kids in 1993. The two worked together to create their first hair prosthesis for a young niece with leukemia. The joy they received by boosting their niece’s self-esteem led them to share their craft with other children. Now more than 60 children every year receive wigs from the organization.

According to the Wigs for Kids Web site, when the hair arrives at the manufacturer, it undergoes a chemical processing treatment to strip the outer cuticle and sanitize it. Next, the locks are blended by a special tool called a hackle, which also removes shorter strands.

The hair is then mixed with other ponytails of various shades to create a natural look, and can take up to 12 ponytails to create one hairpiece.

Each wig is made specifically for a child, so molds must be made of the recipient to insure a proper fit. The child’s head is cast, and a form is made of plaster of Paris.

Pouring a liquid casting substance into the plaster form and sandwiching it with the original mold make a cap. The rubbery cap is the flexible base that will support the hair.

From this point the cap becomes the wig when each hair is individually tied onto it. This part of the process requires 60 to 85 hours of manpower. Attention is paid to every detail, including the way the hair “grows” and whether or not the hair will be parted.

Finally, the recipient receives the wig. The child is trained on how to wear and care for the piece, and prosthesis is then cut by a certified cosmetic therapist.

The cost of building just one wig can be $1,500 or more. Because of this, donors across the country have chosen to give money gifts to the charity.

Ziminski said he feels grateful to do a job he enjoys while being able to help others.

“This is something you can’t put a price on,” Ziminski said. “I really like what I do.”