Crowns of Courage recipients often say that halo wigs make a difficult journey a little easier. THE CAUSE Crowns of Courage is dedicated to giving free halo wigs to children who have lost their hair to chemotherapy. Each wig costs $250 to create and Crowns of Courage proudly passes none of that cost on to a child’s family. A halo wig differs from a traditional wig in that the hair is sewn onto a breathable mesh cap so that it’s not hot or itchy to a child’s sensitive scalp. Kids just wear a hat, beanie or scarf and it’s nearly impossible to see that they’re wearing a wig, and even more important, that they are sick. In its first year, Crowns of Courage was able to provide 12 halo wigs to local Arizona children. Since then, the nonprofit has expanded to more than 20 different states and, going into year four, has provided 170 wigs. “We started expanding to children we had seen online. We’d reach out and ask if they wanted a wig,” Rinehart said. “Any time we’d go to a new city, we’d visit the children’s hospital and see if they could utilize our services.” Semro and Rinehart also set up a very simple process for applying for a wig. The request form on the Crowns of Courage website requires just basic information, including the color of hair the child wants and the measurement of their head circumference. If the child hasn’t yet lost their hair, they are also able to send in their own hair. Crowns of Courage also relies on donated hair that can be used for creating halo wigs since each wig takes about two to three hair donations to make it full and thick. 42 FRONTDOORS MEDIA | JUNE 2019

THE FUTURE Heading into year four of Crowns of Courage’s commitment to helping children, Semro and Rinehart have no plans of stopping. “Our mission and overall goal is to reach as many children as we can in the US until there is a cure for pediatric cancer,” Rinehart said. The two just traveled to Chicago for a child life specialist national conference where they were able to speak with nurses who work directly with families and children and tell them about using Crowns of Courage as a resource in a child’s recovery. By getting their mission out to so many people who had never heard of them, they’re expecting to help a big influx of children in the coming year. “A halo wig can help make an unimaginable time for these kids a little bit more bearable. It can make them feel like themselves and help them regain their confidence and strength while they’re going through their treatment,” Rinehart said. Semro and Rinehart often ask their halo wig recipients how wearing their new wig makes them feel. Their favorite response from a child: “Like I’m not sick and like I don’t have cancer.” To learn more, visit crownsofcourage.com . Ashley Ford ASSISTANT PUBLISHER ashley @frontdoorsmedia.com CONNECTING WOMEN WHERE THEY WORK, LIVE OR PLAY Join us where you live, work or play to connect with like-minded women to share information, ideas, contacts and opportunities. Learn more at: centralphoenixwomen.org eastvalleywomen.org northvalleywomen.org womenofscottsdale.org