Spa Pechanga, at the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, hosted its eighth annual Mane Campaign last October. In collaboration with the Hair We Share organization, a program that creates wigs and gifts them to those suffering from medically induced hair loss, the Mane Campaign is an initiative that encourages people with long hair to cut and donate it to Michelle’s Place, a cancer resource center.
“The feeling of giving, helping those patients in a time that may be their lowest, [putting] a smile on their face, and [providing] them with a wig is why we do it,” says Rachel Patane, manager of Spa Pechanga. “It’s priceless.”
Spa Pechanga has collected more than 690 ponytails, which is enough hair to create 140 wigs. (It takes approximately four to six ponytails to create just one wig.) This year, with the help of 94 donors, they acquired nearly 80 feet of hair. To donate, participants had to have at least 8 inches available to chop—and following the cut, a voucher was awarded for a complimentary cut and styling by either the Smith Salon or the 11:11 Salon. “Pechanga is a great giver for our community and then some,” Patane says.
Spa Pechanga scored an additional 24 donations after taking the campaign on the road to visit SoFi Stadium last fall. All fans of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers that partook in the campaign received hairstyle vouchers and tickets to a future game.
“It is great to see the guests wanting to do this for their family or for a loved one, they are just so proud to be here, and it makes our hearts so happy,” Patene says.
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