Shear Success—

Friends And Family Made

Sandy Hook Hair Co. Fundraiser A Great Event

By Shannon Hicks

Stylists at Sandy Hook Hair Co. (ShhCo.) picked up their shears on their day off recently and did at least 80 haircuts in the span of four hours.

The women were perhaps the largest part of Cuts For Cory, a fundraiser for Cory Pineau and his family. The 12-year-old was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, and his friends at the Church Hill Road hair salon were among the first to help him fight this cancer. Cory likes riding bikes, skateboarding, computers, and playing drums, and the Sandy Hook Hair Co. crew want to make sure he continues to do so without fear of paying for treatment.

So on Sunday, May 17, the salon opened its doors from noon to 4 pm, offering haircuts at reduced rates and the promise that all of the afternoon’s proceeds would go to the Pineau family. At the end of the afternoon that meant that Katherine and Randy Pineau, Cory’s parents, learned they would be receiving more than $5,000, thanks to the generosity of friends and strangers.

“We usually do Relay For Life each year, but this hit so close to home that we decided to do this this time,” said salon owner Bonnie Fredericks. “It was an amazing time, and I’m so proud of my hometown.

“Everyone was so giving and generous,” she continued. “People who didn’t even get their hair cut stopped in to give donations.”

Liz Moroney, who covers the desk for ShhCo., served as the event chair. In addition to salon owner Bonnie Fredericks, the stylists who donated their time on May 17 were April Anderson, Amy Belval, Amy Bennett, Ali Carrier, and Meg Tinsley, along with Corina, a stylist and friend of Ms Fredericks who also participated. Additionally, part-time employee Sue Nielsen was one of many who helped the event move steadily.

Four silent auction items were offered on the sidewalk in front of the salon, along with raffle items from more than 20 local businesses. There were baked goods for sale, along with coffee and hot cocoa — both of which were much needed during the chilly Sunday afternoon.

Theme baskets were also raffled. One basket offered a copy of Marley & Me, along with all the candy, popcorn, and even soda that could be needed for a night at the home movies. Another, from Life’s A Peach, offered some of the fun, kitchy goodies that the recently opened Sandy Hook shop regularly offers. The third baskets had a Backyard BBQ theme, the fourth was for coffee lovers, and the fifth was a mirror of Cory’s Summer Bucket of Fun, which was a large sand pail filled with all kinds of toys kids of most ages would enjoy during the summer months.

(Another Summer Bucket of Fun, created by Eileen Elliott at the Public Works Department — which includes tickets to a Yankees game — to be raffled at the end of June, still has $1 tickets available. Stop in or call ShhCo. for details or tickets, 270-8777).

At the end of the afternoon, Cory Pineau pulled the winning tickets for the raffles, which included everything from one-hour massages, free lawn mowing service, movie tickets to Edmond Town Hall and one month of lessons at Porco Karate to lessons at The Graceful Planet and countless gift certificates to area restaurants and businesses.

“Everyone was so, so generous,” said ShhCo. manager Sharon Mathews. “The girls had a great time, and the event was fabulous. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of Newtown, even in the current economic climate.”