Tumbling Hair Cut for a Cause

As a kid Jen Burke got a bad haircut. She grew petrified of getting another one and kept her brown hair long.

On Sunday, Jan. 6, the owner of Burke's Tumbling Academy overcame that fear.

She bounded in to Ooh La La hair salon in Marblehead with almost waist-length hair and bounded out with hair at her shoulders.

She led a contingent of four brunettes to the cutting chairs. Each had 8- to 12-inches taken off the bottom.

Jen, 7-year-old Emma Locke, her mom, Maureen, and Swampscott High senior Alyse Lavoie donated their hair to the Locks of Love and Pantene Beautiful Lengths programs.

Both programs use donated hair to make wigs.

Locks of Love provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who have lost their hair — longterm — due to a medical condition. 

Pantene's Beautiful Lengths makes wigs for women who have lost their hair to cancer.

Jen said she donated her hair, in part, to set an example for girls at the Tumbling Academy.

For their part, the girls worried their teacher would lose her "Jen Bun."

The teacher wears her hair in a signature bun at the academy.

Their fear was unfounded. She maintains her bun.

Jen, who was recently engaged to be married, in June 2014, has decided to donate her hair again.

She will grow it out for the wedding then get it cut, donating her locks to one of the hair wig programs.

Ooh La La, is owned by Laurie Vatcher, Kathy Videtta, Kathy Drew and Beth Kane.

The owners opened their salon to any one from Burke's Tumbling Academy who wanted to donate their hair.

Each donor also got their hair styled at the salon.