friends of ricki inspires one woman to give back

• Share:

Oct 03 4:48 PM posted by Team Ricki

Friend of Ricki Marlene Corpuz is passionate about making an impact on the world. So when she heard Ricki Lake was doing a show on donating hair to make wigs for those in need, she knew that she—and her very long hair—just had to help!

Marlene, who has lost family and friends to cancer, says, "It was fate. I saw a tweet from @TeamRickiFaith asking if anyone would consider donating their hair to make wigs. I replied back that I was just looking into that very same thing [on LocksofLove.org]! I figured they might be holding a charity event and have people participate by donating. Faith called me back and informed me that not only were they doing this for Locks of Love, but that this would actually be a segment for the show.  Wait, what?!?! (I am in the entertainment industry I am much more of a behind the scenes kind of gal.) Two weeks later, I was sitting in the salon of celebrity stylist Chaz Dean and cutting 10-12 inches of my hair off.

The day after going to the salon, I drove to The Culver Studios for the show taping. That morning everything went by so fast.  Wardrobe fitting... make-up... wardrobe changing... back to make-up... hair touch up from Chaz... it was show time!

Wow, what a fantastic experience to be in studio with Ricki Lake.  She and I have been Twitter buddies for over a year and met briefly at her book signing earlier this year.  Now, I’m on camera sitting on the couch of her brand new talk show.  I think I got so caught up in the excitement of it all that I didn’t express on air why I chose to cut my hair.  In my heart, I know I am making a difference in at least one person’s life, which is what my intention was all along.

Thank you Chaz Dean for a fabulous new hairdo and Ricki’s team for all your hard work in creating this wonderful talk show. To Ricki Lake, I cannot express to you fully how you have touched my life over the past year.  Your willingness to share your platform and invite so many of us to tell our stories is amazing. This experience warms my heart and is something I will cherish for the rest of my life.