Hair donations just one of many CNCC activities available

RANGELY I A hair donation drive to benefit women battling cancer is one of several community education course offerings at Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) this spring.
Alyssa Magalong, a CNCC sophomore who is also the 2013-2014 Miss Colorado Teen and The Pageant U.S. National Teen, will host the Pantene Beautiful Lengths ponytail cutting event on March 20 from 9 a.m. to noon in the CNCC Johnson Building’s multi-purpose room. CNCC’s LeaderTrek students, the college’s student leadership community, will co-host the event.
While Magalong’s efforts tie into her national pageant platform “Support for Cancer Patients,” they also stem from watching a family member battle breast cancer, along with other close family and friends with the disease. Involvement in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life event further spurred her passion for the cause.
Magalong grew her hair for two years before donating 19 inches of it to the Beautiful Lengths program in July.
So far, 16 people, many of them students, have committed to lopping their ponytails on March 20. Others want to donate, Magalong said, but can’t if their hair contains chemicals or bleach residue since all donations will be woven into real-hair wigs for women fighting cancer.
“Cutting (my hair) was nerve-racking, but I knew it was for a great cause,” Magalong said. “It didn’t really bother me. Hair grows back.”
Men, women or children can donate, Pantene donation requirements state that, along with being chemical-free, hair must be a minimum of 8 inches long, be clean and dry and contain no more than 5 percent gray.
Magalong aims for at least 25 people to donate at the event, not only to help women who want wigs to feel more self-confident but also for donors, especially those her age, to understand the bigger picture.
“A lot of people out there have a story people don’t know about; people who are suffering and need our help,” Magalong said. “It’s important for younger generations to get involved. As cliché as it sounds, we are the future … The more we can help, the more we can make a difference.”
Even if people can’t give their hair, Magalong said, plenty of options exist to support cancer patients, from participating in fundraising races to giving to organizations making strides in cancer research.
Also beginning March 20, local artist Julia Davis will offer a six-week ceramics course focused on hand-building “functional pieces” such as bowls and mugs, then decorating them using techniques from printing and painting to mishima (incising a line in clay and painting it with colored glazes, then removing the excess).
“I thought it would be a really nice way for people to get a usable product at the end of six weeks and still be able to decorate their pieces,” Davis said. “These are good forms for decorating.”
The course will run on Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. until April 24, with the $55 course fee covering instruction and materials.
Starting March 20 and running through the first week of May, CNCC’s community choir returns after a several-year hiatus.
Instructor Matt Voiles will teach breath control, vocal tone, fitting one’s voice into an ensemble and music theory basics among other lessons, with the choir performing memorized pieces by semester’s end. The course runs on Thursdays from 6 to 7 p.m. with a $40 class fee. No auditions are required.
Students and community members attending CNCC’s yoga classes the first half of the semester can sign up again next month, either for traditional hatha yoga or power yoga, with the latter combining elements of yoga with dance and cardio work.
Hatha yoga instructor Robyn Wilson will teach Tuesdays from 6 to 7 p.m. starting March 18, while power yoga teacher Kayla Lighthizer instructs Monday and Wednesday sessions from 6 to 7 p.m. beginning March 17. Course costs are $30 and $55, respectively.
A tour of Italy and Spain, initially planned for spring break but canceled due to low enrollment, returns to the community education schedule as a trip to Italy and Greece this June. Trip adviser Victoria (Susie) Berardi will host a “Get your questions answered” meeting today, Feb. 20, at 6 p.m. in the Weiss Conference Room.
The all-inclusive cost for community members — just more than $4,200 — covers roundtrip airfare, transportation, lodging, meals and tour guides, among other expenses, with an optional extension tour into the Greek islands and Turkey offered at additional cost. The student cost is around $250 less, at $3,951.
Community education also has a concealed gun carry course scheduled for March 15 and a General Educational Development (GED) certificate preparation program slated for later this spring, CNCC community education coordinator Angie Miller said.
In April, the department will offer Emergency First Responder and Fundamentals of Search and Rescue courses.
For more information about upcoming spring courses, contact Miller at [email protected] or call 970-675-3227.