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Business & Tech

Salon Staff Become 'Water Warriors' in Fight for Clean Water

Stylists will volunteer their time for Cut-a-Thon from noon to 8 p.m. Monday for cash donations to clean water projects.

Besides beauty, one thing a day spa and salon knows is water. It uses a lot of it every day in the service of its clients. The staff of Salon Efthimia is participating in Earth Month 2011 by becoming "water warriors" and asking their clients and the general public to join them.

“Every 21 seconds a child dies from lack of clean water. Through your passion and commitment for people and the planet, you can make a world of difference,” reads an announcement from the Burr Ridge Village Center salon.

With the goal of raising $4 million dollars to fund clean water projects in various parts of the world, Salon Efthimia has become partners with the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Aveda. The salon’s individual fundraising goal is $3,375 which, as with each participating salon, is determined by the location and demographic. Salon Efthimia's Elmhurst location has a fundraising goal of $2,200.

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Nearly all profits from the campaign will be contributed to the Alliance for the Great Lakes. Profit from the sale of lavender candles will go to fund relief efforts in Japan and to the Alliance. The candle holders are made from recycled wine cooler bottles, and their packaging is made from leftover Aveda packaging scraps.  

If Salon Efthimia is successful in reaching its goal, it will receive national recognition in an advertising campaign by Aveda, said Erica Litwin, who is Salon Efthimia’s Aveda mentor, meaning that she has in-depth knowledge of Aveda products.

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The salon missed its goal last year, but Litwin is hoping that this year will be different.

“It’s nice to meet your goal, and we’re really hoping to achieve it this year,” she said. “I think we’re about halfway there.”

As part of the campaign, Salon Efthimia is hosting several events, such as a Cut-a-Thon from noon to 8 p.m. Monday, with all involved stylists contributing their time for free for a donation.

Other fundraisers include a Jar Guess, for which individuals may pay $1 for the chance to guess the number of M&Ms in a container; the sale of eco-friendly Tagua Nut hair accessories for $2 each and a Rain Drop Raffle, in which individuals can enter to win prizes or gift certificates from local businesses, such as a $20 Brookhaven gift card, a wine basket, a Cooper’s Hawk wine tasting for four or a $40 Capri Ristorante gift card and basket.

The last event is a silent auction, for which guests may bid on services donated by Salon Efthimia stylists.

Earth Month is an extension of Earth Day, which is celebrated on April 22.

“[It] marks the anniversary of what many consider the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970 … [when] 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. The idea came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, CA,” states the Earth Day Network.

For more information, visit Salon Efthimia online at salonefthimia.com or call 630-590-5492.

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