Every month, we like to spotlight a person or organization that’s doing amazing work for the alopecia and hair loss community. This month, we want to focus on Children’s Alopecia Project – a nonprofit that helps families deal with hair loss in children.
What is the Children’s Alopecia Project?
CAP is dedicated to serving as many children with alopecia as possible, and they do this through a few different efforts. One is to help kids with hair loss build self-esteem, since alopecia can have a negative effect on a child’s self image. They also provide much needed support to families of children with alopecia. Lastly, they work to raise awareness of alopecia and the effects it has on the people who have it.
How did they begin?
CAP was founded by a family whose daughter had alopecia, when they couldn’t find a support group to connect with other families going through the same thing. The organization initially grew out of a local newspaper article that the family was featured in. It garnered the local support of friends and family and helped get the organization on its feet.
What programs do they offer to kids dealing with hair loss?
In order to meet all of their goals, the Children’s Alopecia Project has three main programs. The first is an annual summer camp called Alopeciapalooza. This is a four day camp for kids with alopecia, along with their parents and siblings. During the rest of the year, CAP focuses on the CAP Kid Library Program, which purchases books about alopecia to be donated to any school where a student requests them. They also run the CAP Kid Connections Program and Directory which helps kids with alopecia connect and share stories.
