Kieran Moïse’s afro was a splendid 19 inch, a huge part of his personality. But after six years of growing up, the 17-year-old Alabamian knew he and his hair would soon be parted: it was destined for the US Air Force Academy.

So, in memory of a friend who died of cancer, he cut it off and donated it to the nonprofit Children With Hair Loss, which provides human hair replacements for children and women. adolescents facing medically linked hair loss from cancer treatments, alopecia and burns.

“I knew I didn’t want him to just be cut and thrown to the ground, so I wanted to give back,” he said. “I knew I wanted to send a message.”

He did – and many responded. Moïse printed flyers and spread the word on social media for an event hosted by the nonprofit at a brewery in Huntsville, Alabama. There, her family, friends, and even some of her elementary and secondary school teachers took turns cutting her hair into braids. Her story has been shared widely online.

“It’s good to see good news and to see… that people always do good things because all it does is inspire others,” he said.

“That’s really what I want out of this: I want other people (to say), ‘Hey, if he’s doing that, me too.'”

Moses also started a fundraiser through St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, which had helped his late classmate, Josh Quist. He died when they were in college. “That’s when I started to hate cancer,” said Moses.

Initially, Moïse hoped to be able to raise $ 19,000, or $ 1,000 per inch of hair. “Kieran’s Curls for Cancer” has exceeded expectations and has already raised nearly $ 35,000 for St. Jude.

Small acts of kindness, according to Moses, can be spread. “When you smile it usually makes someone else smile, and then that smile can brighten up someone else’s day,” he said.

“I know I’ve had a rough day where someone just does something nice to me or I see them do something nice to someone else, and I remember that all day. “

“One Good Thing” is a series that highlights people whose actions offer glimmers of joy in difficult times – stories of people who find a way to make a difference, no matter how small. Read the collection of stories on https://apnews.com/hub/one-good-thing.