Pink Hair for Solidarity

Local salon participates in Breast Cancer Awareness Month
Tewksbury Town Crier

By MARCY RAGUCCI
The Touch of Elegance Hair Salon at 1269 Main Street in Tewksbury is helping to battle breast cancer, armed with an unusual weapon - pink hair extensions. According to owner, Debbie Gardner, her salon has already raised $4,000 through a unique fundraising event called “Pink Hair for Hope” that will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The foundation's mission is to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer through education and by providing mammograms for those in need.

“A company called SO.CAP.USA provides us with the pink hair extensions and we donate our time to clarify the hair, rinse it, dry it, and apply the extensions,” Gardner explains. “We ran the fundraiser at Livingston Football Field on the holiday weekend (October 6, 7 & 8) and again on October 13th. We had an amazing turnout considering that we did it through word-of-mouth and emails alone.”

Eleanor Toscano, Director of Operations for the salon, adds,“People pay $10 for the extension and 100 percent of that money goes directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Girls from about nine to twenty-nine years of age - as well as a couple of young men - have shown their support of this fundraiser to benefit the National Breast Cancer Foundation.”

The special pink hair extension graft helps people share a unifying bond with women who have been touched by the ill effects of breast cancer. The SO.CAP.USA™ pink extension attaches to the natural hair very close to the scalp, leaving an almost invisible bond. It is bonded to the hair using 100 percent keratin, the same protein that makes up our own natural hair, so there is virtually no damage to the natural hair once the extension is removed.

Marketing Director at the Touch of Elegance Salon, Kristin Pursur, designed pamphlets, sign-up sheets, and gift certificates as well as procuring pink pens and pink t-shirts for participants. Other participating employees from the salon include Katie Goode, Kimberly DiCredico, Kelli Corsetti, Dilia Melo, Jacqueline Salemi and Sherry Allard. Gardner also expressed gratitude to Eleanor Lemelin, Monica Teel, Annette Marchant, Shirley Smith and Sharon Pino who assisted at Livingston Field Snack Shack as well as the entire Board of Directors of Tewksbury Youth Football, President of that board, Frank Ferrelli, and all the cheerleaders, friends and families who helped make the event a huge success.

According to the American Cancer Society, “More than 212,000 new cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in the USA in 2006, adding to the 2.3 million women in the U.S.A. with a history of breast cancer. Excluding non-melanoma skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, affecting nearly 1 in 8 women during their lifetime. While death rates are declining, and significant advances are occurring every year, the need for further improvement in detection and advances in treatment remains a top priority in the fight against breast cancer.”

In addition to contributing to a national effort, Gardner's salon is also raising funds for a specific cause right here at home.“While the month of October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our salon recognized September as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, too,” Gardner said. “We held a big fundraiser in July for Meghan McCarthy, a Tewksbury teen who is currently waging a fierce war against an inoperable brain tumor. Since Meghan needs help every month to pay for life-saving treatments, we decided to continue to raise funds for her so every Wednesday we donate a portion of our proceeds to Meghan's Fund. We even have a huge banner on the front of the salon proclaiming Meghan's Miracle Every Wednesday.”

Weaving one work of kindness into the other (somewhat like the strand of pink hair), Gardner also displayed a photo of Meghan and her story along with an opportunity to purchase gift certificates for Meghan's Miracle Wednesdays at the Pink Hair for Hope event at Livingston Field.

Our Pink Hair table

If you missed the event at Livingston Field, Gardner offers, “We invite everyone to either call or come into the salon before October 31st to make a donation and get a pink hair extension applied to your hair.”

So, if you happen upon someone sporting a tress of shocking pink hair remember that the seemingly outrageous lock is less a fashion statement and more an indication of support for women everywhere and the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Touch of Elegance Salon & Spa
978-851-4314