Emilee Walsh, a newly minted senior at Lake Catholic High School, was relieved to have 10 inches of hair cut off Tuesday afternoon at Blondie Hair Design.

First of all, it took forever for her to straighten it in the mornings. Furthermore, it felt like she was wearing a fur hat when she played softball.

But neither of those factors were why she got her hair cut Tuesday or why she spent months growing it out.

No, she cut her hair and donated it to Locks of Love because her grandfather died of lung cancer and her grandmother's ovarian cancer has reoccurred.

Locks of Love makes wigs for sick children who cannot afford them.

Emilee joined a classmate, Mary Ellen Linane, as the inaugural group to donate their hair for a program called Locks from Lake.

Several other students are growing out their hair so they can donate later this year, Lake Catholic Principal Robert Kumazec said. Even Kumazec has grown a ponytail so he can eventually donate his hair.

(The minimum length that Locks of Love can use for a wig is 10 inches.)

"Students sometimes feel there isn't much they can do against cancer," Kumazec said. "But this something they can and have done."

The Lake Catholic community has been spurred to action in part because of two 8-year-old girls.

Sara Hudson and Erin Potter have been battling T-cell lymphoma and leukemia, respectively. Sara is the daughter of Lake Catholic biology teacher Scott Hudson and Erin is related to several Lake Catholic staff and faculty members, including Matthew Moran, Peter Moran and John Gibbons.

Lake Catholic hosted a kickball tournament in May that raised more than $20,000 for cancer research and treatment -- some of which went to the Hudson and Potter families.