(Posted 9:30 a.m., April 25)
Cuts for Cancer event raises over $6,000 for Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Kira Cuerrier, 7, holds up her ponytail as Sylvie Simard and Diann Lalande look on during the 'Cuts for Cancer' event at Diann's Beauty Salon. on Saturday. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The folks at Diann's Beauty Salon celebrated their 10th annual "Cuts for Cancer" fundraising event on Saturday by raising a record amount of money for the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation.

All told, close to 70 people dropped by the Trim Road beauty salon, raising a grand total of $6,326.25, exceeding last year's total by $509.

The money will go a long way to meeting the salon's goal of $10,000, which they hope to raise before the next Telethon of Hope in January.

"We're going to do it. Absolutely," says a confident Diann Lalande who along with her daughter, Sylvie Simard, organized the first ever "Cuts for Cancer" in 2000. Since then the mother-daughter team have raised over $40,000.

What started out as a two day event with Diann and Sylvie doing most of the work, has turned into a real family affair. Sylvie's husband was flipping burgers on Saturday, while her two children raised over $40 operating a lemonade stand.

This is the second year that the event was held under a tent on Diann's front lawn. But unlike last year when the team of hair stylists were buffeted by high winds, this year's event was blessed with perfect weather.

Quite a few of the people who dropped by to get their haircut donated their ponytails to the Angel Hair For Kids foundation which makes wigs for children who have lost their own hair during cancer treatment.

Eleven-year-old Leanne Shane hadn't cut her hair since 2008 when she donated her 14-inch ponytail to the cause and raised more than $500. This year she managed to raise over $1,200 in two weeks and donated a second ponytail.

Seven-year-old Kira Cuerrier donated her pontail as well. With her entire family looking on, she smiled broadly as Sylvie clipped her 14-inch ponytail from the back of her hair.

This year's event also had a sombre tone to it as four of Diann's clients lost succumbed to cancer during the past year.

"It's been a difficult year, but it also reminds you what this is all about. We're doing this for those ladies and all the other people who've died from cancer. We have to keep raising money until they find a cure," says Diann.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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