While Thalo Green's long red hair last season may have made him look a little like Sampson, his strength came from having it cut.

Green, a senior forward on the University of Washington men's basketball team, performed a most unusual act of service. He grew his curly locks out so that they could be donated to children who have lost their hair due to chemotherapy, burns or other medical conditions.

"I'm in a position, playing basketball at Washington, to give exposure to and promote the Wigs for Kids program," Green said. "I decided to grow my hair out throughout the season and try to raise awareness for the program. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to do something for a good cause."

Green has been personally affected by the many challenges that come with cancer. His aunt fought and won a two-year battle with the disease.

And Green also was influenced by the youngsters he saw at the Children's Hospital in Seattle. The children's appearance -- padding around the oncology department halls in blue hospital-issue gowns emblazoned with Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig characters -- was made even more poignant by the fact that most of the children were bald from their chemotherapy.

Green wanted to help them any way he could, and he decided that he could help in two ways -- by donating his own hair and by bringing attention to an organization that helps children who have suffered hair loss.

Hair loss can be immensely traumatic for children, especially those who already have endured severe illnesses and medical treatment. They lose their self-confidence and self-esteem, making recovery even more difficult.

And hair replacement can be incredibly expensive, often a cost that is not covered by insurance and one that comes on top of many other expenses already endured by a family trying to save an ill child. The Wigs for Kids program provides hair replacement systems, which cost $1,500 each, to such children free of cost.

Green wore his hair nearly shaven during the 1998-99 season, and immediately after that season he had his hair cut. That was the last haircut for him for 16 months, during which his locks grew 10 inches.

"The more awareness, the more money raised," Green said. "In the position that I'm in, being at the university, I thought I could be a good representative. I thought I could bring more attention than the average person trying to do it."

And attention was what he got.

The 6-foot-7-inch Green and his bright red hair would have been hard to miss anyway, but the longer the hair grew, the more people noticed. Once it started bouncing into his eyes, he had to add a headband to keep it under control. Opposing crowds hollered taunts, and even writers for his own campus newspaper criticized his hair. Once the paper's staffers learned of Green's campaign, however, they were supportive.

"No publicity is bad publicity really," Green said, noting that the paper's staff later agreed to do a story explaining why he was growing his hair and who would benefit.

Last month, Green finally had his hair cut. But by then it was long enough to provide a donation for a hair piece, and he had garnered enough publicity that many people had learned of the Wigs for Kids program.

A communications major, in addition to being an accomplished drawer and painter, Green last year served an internship with Washington's community relations program and then worked to help set up a funding program with the Children's Hospital and the American Cancer Society.

But around the Washington campus, Green will be remembered for his bright red hair -- and the children who benefitted from it.

The Wigs for Kids organization accepts hair donations (with a 10-inch minimum), and it also accepts monetary donations. Interested parties also may "adopt" a child, helping that child afford a hair piece and exchanging correspondence with them. For more information, see www.wigsforkids.org