When Stephen Fleck took co-ownership of Changez Salon in Royal Oak over four years ago one of the first things he did was go to Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit to make them aware of the salon’s wig fitting service for women with cancer.

 

“I love Gilda’s Club,” Fleck said, who has lost four family members to cancer. “I think because of my family story I started to connect with Gilda’s Club and I wanted to make sure that they knew what we offered.”

 

After the initial visit to the clubhouse, Fleck and the rest of the staff at Changez held a Most Kissable Lips fundraiser with all proceeds going to Gilda’s Club. “We did the contest three years in a row. People would try on lipstick, kiss a post-it note and post it on the wall. For each post, at least $1 was donated,” Fleck said. The event raised $2,300 in three years. The salon also donates items to silent auctions and raffles that benefit Gilda’s Club, and members of the staff volunteer at Gilda’s Club fundraising events. Fleck and Gilda’s Club staff are working on details for a fall fundraiser to be hosted by the salon.

 

Jason Rice, co-owner of Changez, said he embraces the opportunity to help in the community, especially when it comes to the wig bank. The salon is a proud supplier and fitter of wigs for women who have lost their hair due to effects from cancer treatment. The wigs are donated to the salon and are fitted free of charge.

 

“I love being able to transform peoples’ lives with something as simple as giving them hair, which sounds ridiculous, but it really isn’t,” said Rice. “I find it gratifying from a human perspective that I can change their lives so dramatically by giving them a wig.”

 

Losing hair to cancer treatment can be terribly upsetting for women. Rice and the other stylists at Changez Salon take pride in being able to give comfort to some. “The reality is that they are losing their hair or they have already lost it. We share in the reality with them. I say to them, ‘it sucks that we have to meet this way, but we have some hair for you and we are here to help’,” Rice said.

 

“An appointment isn’t necessary (for the wig bank),” said Patrick Keveny, a manager and stylist at Changez Salon. “People will call and we will give them a range of times best to come in. All of our stylists are taught how to work with the wigs so whoever is free at the time the customer arrives will fit the wig.”

 

The stylist will talk to the person and find out what they are looking for. Then the person will try on a few different wigs and decide which one they like best. The stylist will adjust and trim the wig as necessary.

 

Rice said that a major reason he came to work at Changez over 10 years was because of the wig bank. So when Fleck and he took ownership, they made sure that the wig bank continued to be an integral part of the salon’s existence, along with numerous other community-supporting activities.

 

“We consider ourselves the salon with the big heart,” Fleck said. “We are big advocates of giving back to the community, without really any expectations, because it’s in our value system to do that. Obviously we hope that people see what were are doing and support us back, but, if not, that’s not our reason for doing it anyway.”

 

Fleck said that being involved with the wig bank has led to some very special moments in the salon. “What I love is that sometimes when a customer finishes cancer treatment, they bring the wig back and we celebrate with them,” Fleck said. “There are special moments because sometimes a family member will bring the wig back after the person has passed away. One time a young husband brought a wig back. He said to ‘make sure that this wig goes to someone very special.’ The next day this young woman in her late 20’s or early 30’s with little kids came in to be fitted. It was like it was meant to be her wig. Through Gilda’s Club, I was able to tell the man that I found the best person for the wig and it did help his healing process. We go the extra mile in the whole realm of life experience through the wig bank.”

 

Changez Salon is located at 3210 Crooks Road, Royal Oak, Mich. For more information on the wig bank, contact the salon at (248) 288-3434.

 

Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit is a nonprofit cancer support community providing social and emotional support to men, women and children affected by any type of cancer. Each month, more than 120 support groups, education lectures, workshops and social activities are offered at no charge to members. Program activities are funded through donations from individuals, businesses, organizations, foundations and special events. Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit was founded in 1998 by eight local women who were touched by cancer. Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit is an affiliate of the Cancer Support Community, a network of nearly 50 local affiliates and more than 100 satellite locations that provides emotional and social support to people affected by cancer throughout the world.  For more information or to make a donation, call (248) 577-0800 or visit www.gildasclubdetroit.org.

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By: Tom Murphy, Jr.

Public Relations intern