Local Student Gets Curls Clipped for Japan Relief Effort

On an average day, getting a haircut doesn't amount to much — besides a messy floor — but one Shorewood student's last haircut amounted to more than $140 in relief for the devastated people of Japan.

Shorewood Intermediate School eighth-grader Sam Balistreiri held a fundraiser to benefit the Red Cross' efforts in Japan, March 25. Using a unique twist to fundraising, that required very little "overhead," he grew his hair out, and instead of donating it to Locks of Love, raised money by allowing students and teachers to pay money to cut it off at $1.00 per snip, and $20.00 for a three-inch row of hair.

"I had a very large afro, and I was planning on getting a haircut," Balistreiri wrote in a letter to Japan. "My homeroom teacher and I thought we could turn my haircut into a fundraiser for the Japan earthquake and tsunami relief effort."

Same made $143 in one hour, simply by getting a haircut at school.

"Hopefully, this donation will help the relief effort," he wrote. "I wish nothing but the best for all of you across the ocean."

Since then, the Sam's initial fundraiser has turned into an inspiration and teaching example for students here in Shorewood and in Japan.

According to Balistreiri's teacher, Amanda Krueger, a video of the haircut is being shown in seventh and eighth grade social studies classes at Shorewood, "to help encourage more students become activists for causes they believe in." 

Krueger has spent time living and teaching in Japan.

"I will be sharing his efforts with some teachers I know in the southern Chiba area." 

Also, the sister state organization between the state of Wisconsin and Chiba prefecture would like to feature Sam on their website.

Finally, a teacher in Japan is interested in setting up a correspondence program between her school and SIS in response to Sam's work.

"What began as a small, individual project has exploded into an excellent example of how one student can impact the world," Krueger said.

For more information about Sam and his project, contact Amanda Krueger at akrueger@shorewood.k12.wi.us.