STEVENSVILLE — There are strong ties between cancer outcomes and the support patients receive from their families and community during their treatment. In a society where life has become much more insular and the old adage of “it takes a village” no longer carries the same weight, it can feel challenging to find that much-needed support when facing a fight for your health — and sometimes your life.
Carolyn Keller has been impacted by cancer personally several times: twice as a survivor and twice as two of her sisters-in-law were diagnosed. Having lost her hair twice during her own treatments and then watching her loved ones experience the same, she discovered that there were no affordable or charitable resources for women experiencing hair loss in search of high-quality wigs.
Not one to turn her back on a problem in need of a solution, Keller dug deeper to determine how she could improve the lives of women facing cancer as much as possible. The result was the EBeauty Community Center for Cancer Support, which Keller established as a 501©3 non-profit in 2011. Since then, roughly 60,000 women and their families have received and/or given wigs through EBeauty’s wig exchange program — and today, EBeauty runs the only national wig exchange program in the United States.
“The wig exchange program took off in 2017,” says Keller. She shares how surprised she was to learn that there were no programs of its kind when she found herself wanting to donate the wigs she had used during her cancer treatment. She ended up passing them along to her sisters-in-law and realizing that maybe this was the solution.
“When a woman finishes treatment and wants to move on,” Keller says, “there was nowhere to donate.” She began forging strategic partnerships with the American Cancer Society and Look Good, Feel Better, an organization founded to improve the appearance, confidence, and self-esteem of those undergoing cancer treatment.
EBeauty began by donating wigs containing tags inside asking recipients to return wigs they no longer needed. Very quickly, EBeauty was overrun with generous donations. The next step was to ensure cleanliness and quality of the wigs that would be sent to their next recipients. EBeauty then teamed up with Paul Mitchell Hair & Beauty Schools, and now roughly half of its locations clean and touch up the wigs.
Between EBeauty’s two locations — in Phoenix and now Stevensville — the organization has 15,000 wigs in stock on average, which soon became challenging to disseminate in a timely fashion. Cue Keller’s acumen for problem solving.
“There were many new hospitals opening in Phoenix, so we moved everything from [our original location in] D.C. to there,” Keller says. “We were still looking for the right space and hadn’t found it yet.”
Keller approached several Phoenix hospitals and pitched partnerships that would enable EBeauty to provide 200 wigs or so to each facility so that they could then pass them along to patients. As the organization grew, Keller knew she needed more hands on deck and began the search for an executive director. A mutual friend introduced her to Jen Greene, who initially joined EBeauty in more of a consultant and project-based role, but Keller knew talent when she saw it and determined that it only made sense to bring Greene on board for the role. Greene now manages the hospital partnership program at EBeauty and wears many other hats as well.
“The way Carolyn sees this work and approaches problem solving is a philosophy and way of thinking that I admire,” Greene says. “It makes it easy to hitch my wagon to this effort.”
Together — along with a team of committed and passionate volunteers — Keller and Greene continue to advocate for women facing cancer and work diligently to provide the resources and education they need to confront their fight with confidence.
They recently found the ideal space in Kent Island and worked with the building’s owner to renovate it for their purposes. The result was a light-filled, spacious environment where they can efficiently manage their inventory of both new and donated wigs; offer an inviting fitting room where women can try on wigs of their choice; and a stylish and comfortable seating area where they host educational sessions and discussions on the impact of cancer.
EBeauty held its grand opening on May 2 at their new location at 480 Main Street, Suite 104, in Stevensville, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony conducted by Maryland State Delegate Steve Arentz and wife Biana. A $50 donation for entry included a $20 raffle ticket for a chance to win gift baskets, artwork, and much more. Live music, hors d’oeuvres, a full bar, a kids’ corner, and multiple community vendors rounded out the event.
Keller and Greene hope to spread awareness of the challenges facing women with cancer, while sparking hope that the support they need is out there. They have an ongoing need for volunteers, and are also looking for interns to assist with marketing and social media. Students can also volunteer and receive community service hours toward graduation requirements, while helping to further EBeauty’s mission.
“We want to make this an asset that draws in the community,” says Keller.
Learn more about EBeauty Community Center for Cancer Support at ebeauty.com.
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