Asante Chapman is cutting off her long, lustrous, curly locks in the name of charity.The 15-year-old made the decision in a bid to raise money for four causes: cancer charity Melange, the Bermuda Netball Association, Tomorrow’s Voices and injured motocross racer Tony ‘De Tiger’ Grant.Her locks come off on May 23. The following day she takes part in the Bermuda Day Half-Marathon Derby — her first ever.She hopes to raise at least $10,000 by getting people to sponsor both activities. She said: “I am very excited about it, but I’m nervous at the same time because the race is going to be the longest I have ever run.“It will take a lot of determination and I know I have that and I’m ready to succeed.”Miss Chapman said she was inspired to cut her hair last year after seeing some ladies take part in the annual cancer research fundraiser St Baldrick’s.“I thought, ‘Why not me?’ I have so much hair and it grows so fast, I figured I might as well do it,” she said.She said it was nice having long hair, but her desire to give back was so strong she was willing to “make a sacrifice for something more important”.The teenager hopes that friends and family will sponsor her; she will also fundraise by hosting several grub days at her Thomas Knyvett College, her high school in the UK. Friends and family will also take part in the race relay-style alongside the teenager her brother Judah Chapman, grandfather Earlston Chapman and Shawnette Perott will be among them.Miss Chapman plays in the Surrey Junior Netball League in the UK where she is the youngest on the national squad.She confessed that she is “not a runner”, but has been training with her father, educator David Chapman.She said it was challenging as she learned to push her fitness to new limits, but throughout the process she was keeping her eyes on the end goal and “thinking about how much people’s lives will change from all the money donated to them”.This week she plans to launch a Facebook page specifically for the event. No Woman No Cry will enable people to follow her fundraising drive and see how she is coming along with her race-day training. She wanted the page’s title to reflect the fact women don’t have to be emotionally devastated at the idea of cutting their hair — in fact it can be empowering.She isn’t new to volunteerism and has worked as a candy stripper with the Bermuda Hospitals Auxiliary and assisted the PE Department at Clearwater Middle School while a student there. Just recently while visiting the Island, she tried to motivate younger students at Clearwater about how being called ‘weird’ can actually be a compliment. “It means you are unique and special,” she told them.She wants other young people to look at her example and find other ways they can give back and make a difference. She said: “With all the negative influences of Bermuda right now young people need motivation and some figure that isn’t too much older; they need someone their age that they know will give them hope that there’s more to life than violence or crime.“That’s part of why I am doing this. I just had time last year and thought ‘why don’t I do something for others?’ I have so much talent and so much to give and I need to do something,” she said.For more information on how to donate, visit her Facebook page, No Woman, No Cry.