Local man combines hair donation with Relay

MOSES LAKE - Temperatures reached into the 100s Friday at Moses Lake's Relay for Life, but Brett Palmerton's flowing mane of hair didn't seem to bother him.

"Cool as a cucumber," Palmerton, 47, said, leaning back in his lawn chair at the REC Silicon booth.

Palmerton had little reason to sweat under his long locks. He's been growing and donating his hair to Locks of Love for 17 years.

Locks of Love is a group which collects donated hair to create wigs for cancer patients (and other hair-claiming illnesses) who have lost their own hair to disease.

Palmerton said he had just left military service in 1996 when he discovered Locks of Love.

"I thought, what a great deal," Palmerton said. "I have a lot of hair and it grows very fast. Shoot, I'll be a hair farmer."

Thus began a tradition that has stretched to the present day. Because it takes time to grow his hair to the 10 inches required to donate, Palmerton said he aims for a donation every two years.

"I missed once because I decided I would look better as a light-blond," he said. "It turns out they (Locks of Love) can't take bleached hair."

Excluding that attempt, Palmerton has made five donations, with this year's swath making six.

In addition to his own offerings, he hopes to inspire those around him to donate as well.

"I'm not the only one who should be doing this," Palmerton called out, flipping the hair of some of his Relay teammates. "Yours in long enough. You look like you've got 10 inches there."

Palmerton said children are often curious about his hair, which provides an opportunity to tell them about Locks of Love. The organization does not discriminate by age of the donor, so young enthusiasts can give their hair too.

But kids are not the only ones to question Palmerton's appearance.

He said his employers have been surprisingly understanding of his unusual hairstyle. Palmerton currently works for Dell in Quincy and though he usually wears his hair "pulled back and civilian," he worried about his boss' initial reaction.

"It turns out, after I explained what I was doing, he thought it was great," Palmerton said. "I'm really thankful for my work recognizing how important this is to me because there's a significant stigma for guys with long hair."

Palmerton said his year's donation is special because he intentionally combined it with Relay for Life. Asking $5 per ticket (or any donation), Palmerton raffled off the right to hold the scissors for his philanthropic haircut.

The honor went to Sherry Dompier, who met Palmerton through her work at REC Silicon.

"I just knew I was going to win," Dompier said. "I felt my phone vibrate in my purse and thought, 'They must be calling about Brett's hair.'"

By the time Dompier snipped off Palmerton's long braids shortly after 7:30 p.m., the hair raffle had raised over $425 for Relay for Life to give to the American Cancer Society.

In addition to Palmerton's hair raffle, the REC Silicon booth also raffled off a patio set, camping equipment, an inflatable raft, and a grill and barbecue set donated by the Columbia Basin Herald.

The proceeds from these raffles joined those from other teams at Relay for Life for a combined total of $103,000, according to organizer Jeff Heimark. Heimark said the Moses Lake branch of Relay for Life expects to have raised $120,000 for the American Cancer by the end of August.

"The reception overall went really well," Heimark said of the annual event. "We're always trying to make something versatile enough that everyone can enjoy it." This year's Relay for Life in Moses Lake was attended by 129 cancer survivors, according to Heimark, who uses that number to gauge the success of the event.

"The heat was a bit of an issue," he said, "So, next year we're moving Relay to June. It'll still be at the fairgrounds, but hopefully it will be a little cooler."