She’s gone from feather boas and flip flops to something a little more permanent but you won’t catch Dr. TA Loeffler complaining.

The Human Kinetics and Recreation prof is turning quite a few heads around campus thanks to her new bright hair colour.

She got more than just a shampoo last week went she dropped into Signature Salon in St. John’s – she came out with a brand new hair style and a whole new respect for cancer awareness.

Dr. Loeffler had her hair permanently dyed pink. All for a good cause, though.

The decision was part of her Pink Outside the Box campaign, a unique fundraiser that aimed to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation all the while awareness about her latest climbing expedition.

She hopes to become the first Canadian woman to summit Mount Pumori next month.

All last week – from Sept. 15-19 – Dr. Loeffler dressed in pink items to help raise money for the foundation’s Atlantic Canada chapter.

That included everything from pink shirts and pants to shoes and toe nail polish.

Her goal was to raise $1 per metre of the peak – totaling $7,161. If she reached half that mark by week’s end she would dye her hair.

So far – as of Sept. 22 – she has raised $4,245 with donations still being accepted.

“When the pink went in, I was initially unsure and nervous,” Dr. Loeffler said.

“After the rest of the almost nuclear glowing pink dye was applied, I was wrapped in cellophane and tucked under the hair dryer to cook. For 20 minutes, I reflected on what it must be like to be undergoing cancer treatment and face the unknown, to face the loss of hair and identity, and to not have much choice about what was unfolding.  It was then that I calmed down and knew that having pink hair was not going to be a big deal.  Although the dye was permanent, my hair would grow and a few months from now, I’ll be back to a full head of regular coloured hair.”Dr. Loeffler said she’s thrilled by the amount of money her campaign was able to raise and anticipates more donations will come in this week.“All in all it was a fabulous week, we reached the midpoint of the fundraising campaign, I made lots of wonderful connections, and I wouldn't trade my head of pink for anything,” she noted.

All of the money raised through the climb goes directly to the foundation.

More information – including how to make a donation – is available on Dr. Loeffler's website.

She leaves for Pumori on Sept. 29, and begins her trek towards base camp on Oct. 4.