It takes all kinds of donations to provide services and support for victims of cancer, but only a few of them are within the reach of an eight-year-old.

There is, however, one thing that the average kid can donate more easily than an adult - long, unaltered hair.

Kaiden with a new hairstyle, and a gift of hair for someone else. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Pagonis

Kaiden Pagonis, 8, of Yellowknife, has just sent away her 11-inch-long ponytail to Alfred's Hair Salon in Edmonton.

It is one of the hair salons that work with charities such as the Canadian Cancer Society and the Kids With Cancer Society to turn hair donations into wigs for those in need.

Alfred Werosta, owner of the salon which will be receiving Kaiden's hair, said that hair donors are most frequently children. Making a wig requires unprocessed hair, and in this day and age it's hard to find an adult with nearly a foot of un-dyed, untreated hair.

Werosta said they do still get adult donors though, citing a lady who came into his salon recently and donated a length of healthy grey hair.

A full wig takes up to 12 donations of hair to make, so once a donor's hair is received, a wig cannot be made until they receive many more donations of similarly coloured hair.

Werosta said his salon only receives enough donations to make one or two entire donated wigs per year, and then they determine the value of the rest of their donated hair in the year and make a cash donation to Stollery Children's hospital in Edmonton, in lieu of full wigs.

The donors receive a thank you note from the salon, who also gives their donation wigs to patients at Stollery.

Kaiden's mother Jennifer lost her brother to cancer at the age of five. They also had a handful of other family members who have survived their battles. They listed off a grandmother, an aunt, and a cousin who was a recent breast cancer survivor.

"It's everywhere," said Jennifer Pagonis, "everybody has someone in their life that is affected by it (cancer)."

One of the reasons Jennifer chose Alfred's Hair Salon is because she wanted a salon donating to hospitals in Alberta, in the hopes that Kaiden's hair might go to a child from the NWT.

Other Yellowknifers looking for a way to give hair, or shave their short hair for donations, will have to find an alternative to the Canadian Cancer Society's head shave event at Raven Mad Daze this year.

But Louise Riordan, program co-ordinator for the Yellowknife unit of the CCS, said they can still help you have your own private event, which is something they have done in the past anyway.

"We are sad to see a good thing come to an end," said Riordan. "The head shave was well received in Yellowknife and it's rare for people to have an opportunity to publicly share their personal stories."

She added that the CCS felt there was an increase in the private events with the public one not happening. A private event also works better for people who are not comfortable on a stage with an audience, she said.

In addition to receiving donations a person raises through their own head shave event, the Canadian Cancer Society can also take hair donations from people who aren't able to find a salon to send the hair to directly.

Jennifer Pagonis was able to find Alfred's Hair Salon by contacting the Kids with Cancer Society via their website, and she also found the Canadian Cancer Society's website to have helpful information as well.