Haircuts, information offered at cancer event

“100 Years of Chadron State College, 100 Inches of Hair – Cancer Knowledge, Resources and Empowerment” will feature speakers, informational displays and even haircuts. The event, which is in the Student Center, will be open to the public free of charge.

In addition to CSC’s upcoming centennial celebration, the name of the event reflects one of its distinctive features. Licensed hair stylists will cut and collect hair for free throughout the afternoon. Hair from those who have at least eight inches removed will be donated for hairpieces for people receiving cancer therapy. Monetary donations for the project also will be accepted.

The afternoon will feature four sessions of presentations by speakers. At 1 p.m., Dr. Laura Gaudet, CSC psychology professor, and Helene Duhamel of KOTA TV will open the event. Trinity Fuss, a physician’s assistant for The Women’s Center of Western Nebraska, will speak at 2 p.m. Carol Diffendaffer of Regional West’s Cancer Treatment Center is scheduled to address the audience at 3 p.m. The sessions will close with a panel discussion at 4 p.m. featuring a variety of health care representatives.

The program is being organized by students of a CSC social work methods course, “communities and organizations.”

Bruce Hoem, the CSC professor who teaches the course, said the booths at the event will be “bona fide health care representatives from the Panhandle who want the public to be aware of healthcare services available in relation to cancer diagnoses” – not vendors soliciting clients.

Throughout October, wall space near the Student Center ballroom has been dedicated for people to post tributes, thoughts, photographs and anything else related to cancer.