Male Rapunzel Cuts His Hair for Chai Lifeline and Children's Cancer on the Streets of New York

NEW YORK, Nov. 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Ask any mother: a young man's decision to snip his long, curly, thick locks after three-and-a-half-years of non-stop growth is a cause for celebration.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151112/286703
Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20151112/286704

For actor, filmmaker, and Chai Lifeline counselor Meir Kalmanson, it was also a chance to raise awareness of Chai Lifeline and children's cancer on the streets of New York City.

Kalmanson's newest short film, "I Cut My Hair For Cancer," (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-igT7JCDGe4), chronicles the journey from hippie to hipster. Kalmanson and his barber carried a barber pole and chair to several easily recognized locations, including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Brooklyn Bridge, The New York Public Library, and Times Square. Passersby helped shear the locks, collected in several ponytails that measured longer than the requisite 14 inches. Kalmanson even convinced two long-haired women on the Brooklyn Bridge to cut their hair as well.

The hair was donated to Chai Lifeline, the international children's health support network, and will be made into wigs for children who lose their hair to cancer treatments or illness. Kalmanson knows many children in that unfortunate situation: for the past four years he has volunteered at Chai Lifeline's Camp Simcha, which provides free summer vacations for seriously ill children.

"I (became a counselor) with the intention of making the children's summer and remind them what it means to be happy again, but the opposite occurred. I learned what it means to be truly happy and to look at life with a new perspective," said Kalmanson, who seems to always be in motion.

The filmmaker didn't stop with a simple haircut. Once the ponytails were gone, a second barber buzzed his head and used a razor to etch Chai Lifeline's logo onto his scalp, coloring it with the organization's signature green and yellow colors.

While a few friends didn't recognize him, Kalmanson reports that his mother was overjoyed to finally see her son's face sans the frame of curls. As for the logo, let's just say she takes pride in her son's commitment to charitable endeavors.

Media contact:
Melanie Kwestel
212 699-6638

SOURCE Chai Lifeline

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