Mission: To provide hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children 18 and under from the United States and Canada who suffer from any kind of long-term medical hair loss.

Background:
Locks of Love was established in December 1997 by Madonna Coffman, a retired cardiac nurse and volunteer in the Palm Beach area, to provide children with custom-fitted hairpieces made entirely from donated human hair, helping to restore their self-esteem and confidence. For most of the children, their baldness is due to an auto-immune disease called alopecia areata, which has no known cause or cure, though medications often help in mild cases. More than two thousand donations of braids and ponytails arrive in the organization's mail each week, and 80 percent of the donors are children. Coffman, now president of the LOL board, suffered and recovered from the condition, as did her daughter.

Outstanding Web Features:
The Locks of Love Web site provides a description of the hairpiece manufacturing process, information about donating hair or requesting a hairpiece, and answers to frequently asked questions. The site also features galleries with "before" and "after" photos of hair recipients and donors, and useful links.