Eleven-year-old Clara Weinstein’s giving spirit grows with every haircut.
The Saint Joseph School sixth-grader recently made her fourth hair donation, this time giving 18 inches of her brown locks cut on Oct. 9 to Children With Hair Loss, a nonprofit organization that provides free hair-replacement and care kits to children experiencing hair loss due to medical conditions.
Clara’s journey of giving began when she was just 4 years old. After learning that some children lose their hair due to illness, she decided to do something about it. The first time, she donated 13 inches of her hair to Wigs for Kids. On the drive home after her haircut, she told her mother, Tandy Schmidt, “I want to give it to a girl who doesn’t have hair. When my hair grows long, I’m going to donate it again.”
Clara kept that promise.
Since then, the sixth-grader has grown out and donated her hair three more times, each to a different children’s charity.
“She’s always had such a giving spirit,” Schmidt said. “Every few years, when her hair starts getting long again, she tells me it’s time. She loves knowing that what she’s giving is going to help another child feel special and confident.”
The Bunker Hill, West Virginia, resident’s most recent donation went to Children With Hair Loss, from whom she received a certificate of appreciation for her contribution. The Michigan-based organization provides hundreds of replacements each year to children who lost their hair due to medical conditions or diseases, according to its website, https://childrenwithhairloss.org/.
For Clara, the real reward isn’t the certificate; it’s knowing she’s helping make someone else smile.
Clara’s stylist, Erin Elliott, owner of Alter Ego Hair Color and Design Studio in Frederick, Maryland, has been with her through all four donations.
“It’s been amazing to see Clara grow up through each of these moments,” Elliott said. “She sits in my chair with excitement and purpose every time. What she’s doing is so genuine — it’s pure kindness.”
Saint Joseph School Principal Maria Byrd said Clara’s compassion reflects the school’s mission.
“Clara lives out the values we teach every day — faith, kindness and service to others,” Byrd said. “Her generosity inspires both students and staff.”
Through her ongoing acts of giving, Clara reminds everyone that even the smallest hands can make a lasting difference and that kindness, like hair, always grows back stronger.
