Morgan Chan is a bona fide Brooklyn hair-oine.
Instead of planning a birthday party for herself next week, a Ditmas Park eight-year-old will be the one giving a gift. The PS 139 third grader has been growing her hair out for two years so she can lop it off when she turns nine on July 8 and give her locks to an organization that makes wigs for children losing their hair from burns, alopecia, and cancer.
“One time, I saw this girl on TV. She had a happy life, but she decided to donate her shoes to an orphanage,” said Morgan. “I asked my mom if we could donate something somewhere.”
Chan’s parents also set up a page for donations — which was first reported on the Ditmas Park Corner blog — after their daughter embodied the spirit of giving and told them that she didn’t want any birthday gifts this year.
The family has raised about half of their $1,000 goal, which will go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Manhattan.
Morgan’s mother Andie Miller-Chan said she was always impressed with her daughter’s compassion for others.
“When she was 14 months old, if we heard a little kid crying in the supermarket, I’d have to take her to the child so she could see that the kid was ok,” Miller-Chan said “But she’s still a normal kid — she wants to stay up late and read and she’s watches too much television.”
That said, Morgan’s already told her parents that she’s only forgoing presents this year — not a party.
“I’ll have a little one,” she said. “Just a sleepover with a few friends.”
To help Morgan Chan meet her fund-raising goal, please visit St. Jude’s website or email Andie Miller-Chan at andiesilvertown@gmail.com.
Reach reporter Eli Rosenberg at erosenberg@cnglocal.com or by calling (718) 260-2531. And follow him at twitter.com/emrosenberg.
