Relay for Life Chairman Michelle Goode said the March 6 Relay for Life fundraiser in Bogalusa was a hit.

“It went really well,” she said. “The weather was beautiful, and the turnout was nice.”

This might be an understatement, considering the event raised $18,000 in one day, which has pushed the local Relay for Life fundraising to $44,000 — past last year’s total goal of $40,000.

The weather and turnout aside, Goode said one of the reasons this year’s event proved special was a surprise hair donation and auction.

“We actually had Scarlet Braddy donate her hair,” Goode said. “We auctioned off the scissors, and Tami Sheridan won the opportunity and she cut her hair for her.”

Sheridan is not a professional hair stylist and Goode added that volunteers from H & Co. were on hand to clean up the cut.

Goode explained that the hair was donated to Beautiful Lengths, a partnership set up by Pantene, the shampoo company, and the American Cancer Society. The group makes wigs for women out of donated hair, and the wigs go to cancer victims who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy.

“She was hoping her hair would be long enough to cut and it was,” Goode said, of Braddy.

This year though, the Relay for Life group is aiming to raise more money than last year, so Goode said residents can expect more events. The goal is set at $60,000 and the cancer charity has until December to raise those funds.

“We still have some other events coming up through the rest of the year to keep up the awareness of cancer and cancer research,” she said.

One of those events will be a cook-off, and another could be a high-stakes raffle.

“We’re talking about doing a raffle, and we’ve got a really cool opportunity to do a raffle off either a cruise or a Disney trip,” Goode said.

The money raised by Relay for Life is used for local people who have been diagnosed for cancer. The money is used to help offset the cost of treatment, including transportation.

Goode thanked the event’s sponsors, including Tractor Supply, NECO, Nielsen Pharmacy, Professional Women’s Club, Double D, City of Bogalusa, LA Crawfish Tables & More, Pauline Hebert, Pap’s Garden & Gifts, Seal Industrial & Welding Supply, Bogalusa Country Club, Rayburn Correctional, Coca Cola, Mark Irvine, Black Creek Band, Community Coffee, Bogalusa Fire Department, City Drug Store, Wendy Talley, Rock It Productions, Welding & Carpentry Students of NTCC, Milltown, Kenneth Seal, Lawrence Stogner, Main Street Grocery and Erika Parker.