CHOCOWINITY — A Chocowinity Primary School student is preparing to celebrate her 11^th birthday in a special way this year. Tuesday, on her 11^th birthday, Joscelin Arayah will cut her hair and donate it to those who are unable to grow hair of their own.

Joscelin Arayah, a fourth-grader at CPS, has been growing her hair since she decided to donate to a good cause in Jan. 2013, according to her mother, Angelica Arayah. Joscelin got the idea from her mother, who told her about Locks of Love and the opportunity it gives for people to grow their hair and donate. Locks of Love is a public nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under the age of 21, who suffer from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis, according to its website.

“My mom explained to me about Locks of Love, and I really wanted to cut it because I thought it would be special to give it to someone who is sick and can’t grow hair,” Joscelin Arayah said.

Angelica Arayah said she researched the requirements for donating the hair on the Locks of Love website and has followed the criteria since Joscelin decided to participate in the program. At that time, Joscelin projected to let her hair grow for about two years, but decided to wait a little longer for her birthday, she said.

“I’m going to cut it next Tuesday,” Joscelin Arayah said. “It’s going to be on my birthday, and I think if I cut it on my birthday, it will be a special memory to me because I’m giving it to someone, who doesn’t have and can’t grow it because they’re sick.”

Both Joscelin and Angelica Arayah said it has been a challenge to stay focused on the end goal. As a elementary school student, Joscelin participates in physical education classes and frequents the playgrounds at CPS with her classmates. During those times, her longer-than-normal hair is hot and gets in her face when running or swinging and when the wind blows, Joscelin said.

However, through discipline and motivation to help those who don’t have the luxury of growing their own hair, Joscelin has stuck it out and has four more days until she finally can cut her hair and make someone else’s life a little better.

“It’s for a good cause — a nonprofit where they help boost the self-esteem of the people, who are unable to grow hair of their own — so I thought that was very neat,” Angelica Arayah said. “She’s really touched by knowing she will be able to do this for someone since she has the ability to have and grow her hair.”