For Leo Vigelius, the New Year means a new look, for himself as well as a stranger in need.
‘I just wanted to help people,? said Vigelius, who spent almost two years growing his hair for donation to Locks of Love. ‘I love helping people in need.?
It wasn’t easy for the Springfield Township 10 year old ? his long hair often led to misunderstandings. When out for dinner with his parents, Bill and Sara Vigelius, his brother, Billy, and sisters Kate and Jessica, sometimes waiters and waitresses would assume he was a girl.
‘He took it in stride and never got upset,? Bill said. ‘He would just say he was a boy.?
Teasing was also a problem, Kate said.
‘Leo kept a brave face,? she said. ‘Others in his situation may have grown tired of being mistaken for the opposite sex or become aggravated by the ridicule from ignorant onlookers, but Leo never wavered.?
‘He had a lot of peer pressure,? Sara said. ‘He tolerated so much without getting ruffled. It would just roll off him.?
Bursting out in anger when teased isn’t his way, said Leo, Andersonville Elementary student and Boy Scout in Troop 133.
‘I don’t get angry that easily,? he said.
Still, he was happy when the moment arrived and the hair came off, jumping up and down, exclaiming ‘I did it! I did it,? Kate recalled.
‘He was ready,? Bill said.
Locks of Love is a non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children in the U.S. and Canada suffering from long-term medical hair loss. Leo’s 12-inch-long haircut was Dec. 30.
‘I’m so proud of him for not caving into peer pressure and instead staying true to his plan,? Sara said. ‘It’s incredible a 10 year old has so much empathy for someone else. He’s a good, easygoing kid, friendly and inclusive.?
‘He’s a good kid with a big heart,? Bill said.