When Jessica Baroni opened Salon Bliss for the first time, she wanted to create a beauty oasis where people could get their hair done. Along with providing other highly in-demand beauty services, Salon Bliss helps local charities on the first Friday of each month. Check out how Salon Bliss stylists are helping their community to discover how you can get involved.
Fairy Hair Event Drives Interest
The town of Ocala comes together every month between September and May to celebrate First Friday Art Walks. The free event includes live entertainment and art displays in the evenings so residents can come together to have fun.
When Jessica Baroni considered opening Salon Bliss in the evenings at these Art Walk events, stylist Caitlynn Brown suggested putting heat-resistant tinsel extensions in the hair of interested attendees. Baroni transformed it into an opportunity called “Fairy Hair Fridays” to give back to local charities.
Art Walk visitors can get colorful, temporary extensions put in their hair for a small fee during each monthly event. It only takes a few minutes and doesn’t permanently alter your look. Tinsel extensions are easy to take out at home with a pair of scissors and a comb.
After the event ends, Baroni donates the entirety of the collected fees to a local charity. The small fee for your colorful new hairdo will create real change for those in need.
Charity Events With Art Walk Fridays
All About You Angels is the current charity benefiting from Salon Bliss’ Fairy Hair Fridays. The organization provides custom-fit bras for breast cancer survivors who have had mastectomies, along with free supplies for those currently undergoing treatment.
Salon Bliss donated its Fairy Hair Fridays collection to Michelle-O-Gram in previous months. The Ocala non-profit organization partners with local imaging and radiology centers to provide free mammograms for those without health insurance or financial resources.
The opportunity to give back is also personal to Baroni. She’s in remission from her own fight with breast cancer, along with many women in her family.
Quick Facts About Breast Cancer
Numerous types of breast cancer can develop in men and women, but the two most frequently diagnosed are invasive ductal carcinoma and invasive lobular carcinoma. The first begins in the ducts and can expand outside of them. The second starts in the lobules and spreads at varying rates.
With over 260,000 women per year diagnosed with invasive breast cancer, mammograms are a crucial preventive service that doctors recommend women begin getting at age 40 and schedule annually after that. However, many people can’t access mammogram clinics. Research shows that one in five women lack health insurance. Without it, mammograms can cost between $70–330 for those not qualifying for Medicare.
Funding from efforts like Fairy Hair Fridays is essential to keeping life-saving organizations like this open. Recent estimates found that over 27.5 million people lack health insurance, including men and women who need this crucial form of preventative health care annually.
Support Local Charities With Salon Bliss
If you find yourself near Ocala on a Friday, check out the Art Walk and any open businesses downtown. You might find services like Fairy Hair Fridays that are perfect for you or your family. Paying a small fee will help you become part of the growing effort to assist those who can’t access health care.
Schedule a visit by stopping by downtown Ocala on the first Friday of every month. The Art Walk event lasts from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. and is free to the general public. You can also check out pictures and testimonials from previous Art Walk events by searching #OcalaArtWalk on social media.
