Julia M. Dendinger | News-Bulletin photo
Holding the more than 6 inches she’s donating to Locks of Love, Harley Lucero, 5, of Bosque Farms, wasn’t nervous at all about the significant trim.
Sisters raise money for local Toys for Tots program
Being kind comes naturally to 5-year-old Harley Lucero, of Bosque Farms, so when she said she wanted to cut her hair and donate it to Locks of Love, her parents, Nicole and Chris, weren’t surprised.
“They give hair to kids without hair,” Harley said of the nonprofit. “I wanted to be kind.”
The youngster, dressed in a princess dress and cowboy boots, said she wasn’t nervous about the big cut, which lopped off a good 6 inches of hair.
Nicole said with the exception of one minor trim, Harley’s hair had never been cut.
During the visit to Hair Innovations in Belen, Harley convinced Nicole to donate some locks as well; younger sister, Jovie, 3, is still mulling over the idea of being a hair donor.
The sisters also teamed up and ran a hot cocoa stand in the village of Bosque Farms as the weather cooled off to raise money for the Bosque Farms Police Department’s Toys for Tots program.
“They wanted to give money, so we talked about how we could do that,” Nicole said.
All total, the girls raised $223 to help purchase toys for local children.
“They wanted to do something good,” said Chris.
Submitted photo
Harley Lucero, 5, right, and her sister, Jovie, 3, of Bosque Farms, spent two weekends in December selling hot cocoa to raise money for the Bosque Farms Police Department’s 2021 Toys for Tots drive. They raised more than $200 for the effort.
The family moved to the village of Bosque Farms three years ago, and quickly formed friendships with their neighbors. When COVID-19 was at its worst last year and people were staying home in droves, Chris said Nicole and the girls decided to reach out.
“Nicole loves to bake, so she and the girls made mini loaves of banana bread and took them to all the neighbors, left them on their porches,” he said.
For Easter, Harley and Jovie filled plastic eggs with candy treats and again made deliveries around the neighborhood. The only thing their parents asked in return was for their neighbors to hide the eggs outside so the girls could have an Easter egg hunt. They did, often with a note of thanks inside for the Luceros.
“They come from a long line of kind heartedness,” Chris said of the girls.
Harley is also making her mark at her school, Bosque Farms Elementary, where she was named the October Student of the Month.
For more information about how to contribute to Locks of Love, visit locksoflove.org.
Julia M. Dendinger began working at the VCNB in 2006. She covers Valencia County government, Belen Consolidated Schools and the village of Bosque Farms. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists Rio Grande chapter’s board of directors.
