Last Friday, Brandon Buckner, the City of Asheville’s Meter Services Superintendent sat down before his peers (and a dubious looking set of pruning shears) and donated his hair to Locks of Love, the nonprofit that creates hair pieces for children who have lost their hair due to medical procedures, including treatments for cancer.
“There was a chance to get some recognition for these causes,” Buckner said. “I don’t know if there is a person who hasn’t been affected by cancer in some way. And if we can provide something that will make these children feel better about themselves, that’s a good thing.”
Buckner also used the event to drum up donations for another good cause, challenging city employees to donate to the group Caring for Children, a locally-based nonprofit that serves abused and emotionally challenged children and nurtures families in need.
“It’s wonderful what these folks do for the kids,” Buckner said. At the event, he presented a check for $600 to the organization’s Executive Director John Lauterbach.
“We can’t thank him enough for thinking about us,” Lauterbach said. “And to combine the thought of us with Locks of Love really touches my heart.”
Buckner has been with the City of Asheville Water Resources Department for 11 years and was recently featured in this article spotlighting the department’s efforts to convert the city of Asheville’s water meters to automatic meter readers. The upgrade improves customer service while reducing the time staff needs to collect information from meters.
For more information about groups mentioned or to find out how to donate, got to www.locksoflove.org or www.caring4children.org.
See video below for an interview with Brandon and footage of the main event!