In a room filled with cheers, nervous smiles, and proud parents, 5th grader Adeline Castro takes a seat in the chair, ready to give up something most kids her age wouldn't think twice about — her hair.

Adeline attends Dora Romero Elementary in Los Fresnos and the decision to donate her hair to be used for wigs didn't happen overnight.

"Last time I cut it was 3rd grade," Adeline said. "I heard about this since last year, but my hair wasn't long enough."

She's been growing it out with one goal in mind — to help other children.

Even though no one in her family has faced medical issues that made them lose their hair, Adeline says she wants to make a difference for those who are.

"I just wanted to donate my hair to kids without hair," Adeline said.

Now, that moment has finally arrived and with one cut, years of patience fall to the floor, ready to become something more than just a ponytail.

And if her ponytail helps even one child feel more confident, she says it's worth it.

"I feel excited," Adeline said.

The haircut is part of Dora Elementary School's annual "Wigs for Kids" event — a tradition that began at Los Fresnos Consolidated Independent School District back in 2016.

Patricia Sanchez is an English teacher at the school and also the organizer of the event.

She says the initiative began with another teacher who had cancer and wanted to help children facing the same fight.

"She started this as a way to have other kids who go through the same experience get a chance to get some hair and so my dad was battling cancer and I decided to help her," Sanchez said.

Since then, participation has only grown.

"Every year we get more and more girls who want to participate," Sanchez said. "Since 2016, we have a dozens of kids come in, a total around 60 or 70 girls, even guys have donated their hair."

This year, seven people donated their hair, including two students from Dora Romero Elementary, but organizers say the real lesson goes beyond the haircut.

"They are learning about kindness, compassion and helping others," Sanchez said.

Each participant receives a certificate to honor their donation.

But Adeline walks away with something even more meaningful — the hope that her small sacrifice helps another child feel a little more like themselves; and maybe inspires a friend to do the same.

"I told one of my friends," Adeline said. "To at least try or maybe just hear about and see how they feel."

Watch the video above for the full story.