Paying It Forward for Peyton

How Love Is Bald honors one woman’s legacy by standing with families navigating cancer

By Jen Reed

The first thing you notice at a Love Is Bald event isn’t the decorations or even the purpose of the gathering—it’s the people. The way they greet each other like family. The laughter that rises from small clusters of volunteers. The unmistakable sense that everyone in the room is connected by something deeper than a charity mission. 

That feeling is the heartbeat of Love Is Bald, a Wilmington nonprofit created to “Pey it forward” in honor of Peyton Dergay, a beloved friend whose life and spirit inspired a community. After Peyton passed away from cancer in 2004, her circle of friends—including founders Kelli Russell and Allen Williford—channeled their grief into something lasting: a 501(c)(3) built on compassion, remembrance, and small acts of care that make a tangible difference for individuals and families navigating cancer. Love Is Bald has since supported people throughout the Port City and beyond, offering everything from financial assistance to emotional support, always with the intention of honoring Peyton by lifting others up.

This winter, the organization will host its two pinnacle fundraising events: the annual Chili Cookoff on January 25 and the March 6 Fashion Show, where cancer survivors and those honoring loved ones lost walk the runway. Together, the events raise the funds that allow Love Is Bald to stand beside families in ways that are personal, immediate, and deeply thoughtful.

For volunteer Karen Mahnken, the mission of Love Is Bald resonates not only because of what the organization does, but because of what it once did for her.

Karen first encountered Love Is Bald much the way many Wilmington residents do—through friends inviting her to one of its early gatherings. She enjoyed the atmosphere and the purpose behind it but never imagined how intertwined her life would eventually become with the organization. She attended events, cheered on the fundraisers, and admired a group of people who seemed to put kindness into motion with remarkable ease.

Then, ten years ago, Karen was five months pregnant when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The diagnosis upended everything. Instead of the joy and anticipation of expecting a first child, she found herself immersed in treatment plans and tough decisions. Because of the cancer’s aggressiveness, her doctors recommended beginning chemotherapy while she was still carrying her son.

“It felt like the ground shifted under me,” she says. “You expect to be planning a nursery, not planning chemo.”

Her son was born healthy—a thriving nine-year-old today—and Karen eventually transitioned from patient to survivor. But before she reached that point, she learned firsthand what Love Is Bald meant in practice.

Volunteers stepped in quietly and compassionately, offering the kind of support that doesn’t always make headlines but makes an enormous difference in daily life. Meals arrived. Texts and cards appeared when she needed encouragement most. And in a gesture Karen still talks about nearly a decade later, Love Is Bald provided diapers—so many that the supply lasted well into her son’s second year.

“It sounds small until you’ve lived it,” she says. “Those diapers were love. They said, ‘Let us help carry you through this.’”

When Karen regained her footing, she knew she wanted to give back. She began volunteering more consistently, later joining the planning team for Love Is Bald’s annual fashion show. Though she considers herself a newer addition compared to some of the long-standing volunteers, the work has become deeply meaningful to her. This March marks her fifth year helping bring the event to life.

Both of Love Is Bald’s signature fundraisers capture the organization’s mission in action. The Chili Cookoff is a lively, good-natured competition full of secret recipes and hometown pride. But beneath the fun lies the purpose: every bowl served helps fund practical, compassionate support for cancer patients in the community.

The March 6 Fashion Show is Love Is Bald’s most emotional tradition. Survivors walk the runway with hard-earned confidence. Others walk to honor someone they’ve lost. The audience leans in for every story, every smile, every moment of shared courage. The show isn’t about clothing—it’s about connection, healing, and the reminder that no one faces cancer alone.

Karen says the fashion show, in particular, embodies the spirit of Love Is Bald: a celebration of life, of memory, and of the community’s commitment to lifting one another up, just as Peyton once lifted those around her.

“Everything we do is in honor of Peyton,” Karen says. “Her kindness still inspires us. When we ‘Pey it forward,’ we carry her with us.”

Love Is Bald has never aimed to become a large, impersonal national organization. Its strength lies in intimacy—in the diapers delivered without fanfare, the gas money quietly provided, the belief that hope grows when people show up for one another in the simplest, most human ways.

Karen knows this better than most. Her story, threaded with fear, gratitude, and an unwavering desire to give back, reflects exactly what Love Is Bald hopes to offer Wilmington: community, compassion, and the reminder that even in the hardest moments, no one is truly alone.

“I’m here because people didn’t let me fall,” she says. “The best way I can thank them is by helping someone else stand.”

To support Love Is Bald’s mission, attend the January Chili Cookoff or the February Fashion Show — two events that bring hope and community to local families facing cancer. 

Visit loveisbald.org/events.