April has been an eventful month. Weather wise we have had snow, wind, “monsoons” and summertime temperatures. Here at Salon Enso we have also seen our fair share of action with not one, but two back to back super successful weekend shindigs.
I have mentioned it in previous April blogs (for the last 3 to 4 years now?) that the month is a HUGE one for Aveda. April is earth month and there is nothing more sacred or precious to a company that is 100% eco-conscious. Since its inception in 1978 Aveda has strived to set an example for environmental leadership. As a company specializing in hair care and one that backs its hairdressers it make sense clean water is high on the priority list.
Each year Aveda gives its salons and spas a monetary goal to raise funds for a local Earth Month partner committed to keeping our natural waterways (lakes, rivers, oceans, river basins, watersheds and the like) clean. Salon Enso’s local partner is Clean Ocean Action (COA) which is based out of New Jersey.
COA is a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of water off of the New York and New Jersey coasts. They began in 1984 and have sought to help identify sources of pollution with education and citizen action to help convince our public officials to help clean up and protect our oceans.
Salon Enso’s goal for the last several years has been 3000 dollars to donate to Clean Ocean Action and their efforts. The amount is decided by Aveda based on the number of stylists and the income of the salon.
Every year Salon Enso has increased the amount raised, but we have always fallen short of our goal. Last year (2017) we made it halfway there with the introduction of our Cut-a-Thon. (If you aren’t sure what a cut-a-thon is or does, check out last year’s blog).
Seeing the success and enthusiasm with the Cut-A-Thon we decided to make it an annual event. This year we made it larger with all the stylist’s hands on deck, more raffles and more services offered.
Then in her typical flashes of brilliance one of our stylists, Molly thought “What if there was a way to promote the cut-a-thon and our cause to the public?”
And from that our Earth Month Benefit for Clean Water was born. At this event we “showered” the Keppel Building in downtown Lancaster on First Friday with fun by donation activities such as henna and hand massages.
All of this fun then culminated in a fashion show where each of the boutiques showcased their individual styles. Hair and makeup was tackled by the Enso stylists (as well as some VERY helpful hands from Pulse Beauty Academy). The event was extremely well received (yay for some nice early April weather!) and allowed us to take Clean Ocean Action’s cause to the public.
It also allowed us to promote the Cut-a-Thon which was held the following weekend.
It was an exhilarating, exhausting (we were BUSY) and exciting week but the fruits of our labor paid off – We (with the help of the public and our AWESOME salon clientele) reached our goal!
As of April 19th Salon Enso had reached AND surpassed our goal with $3344 raised for Clean Ocean Action!!!! YAY!!
And the month isn’t over yet! If you weren’t able to make it to either of our Earth Month events, fear not. We still have silent auctions and raffles going on in salon through the end of the month.
The winners will be drawn in early May. And speaking of May – that is the gateway (hopefully) to the summer season so if you frequent the New Jersey or New York beaches, keep an eye out for their cleanliness. If you notice improvements, no matter how small, know that YOU and Salon Enso helped make them!
