Community Corner

Bayville Salon Hosting Online Fundraiser To Help Women Go Forward

Hair Fantasy is accepting donations through Thanksgiving to help cover the cost of free makeovers for people who have fallen on hard times.

BERKELEY, NJ — When the owner of Hair Fantasy began offering free makeovers to people who had fallen on hard times in March, only a few women expressed interest at first. Michele Fury thought some people were feeling shy, or maybe they just didn’t know about the offer.

But a lot has changed for the salon over the past month since Fury was featured on an episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show."

“We’ve been overwhelmed with makeovers,” Fury said. “We received more letters than expected and we want to accommodate everyone because of the touching stories. With rising cost of products, we are looking for donations so we can continue to do free makeovers to make a change.”

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An online fundraiser is currently accepting donations through Facebook.

Fury has been donating a percentage of her sales to cover the costs, but with hair dye and makeup totaling anywhere up to $250, any donations could help, Fury said.

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The salon is aiming to give one makeover a week through Thanksgiving, whereas before they were giving about one a month.

Fury hopes the makeovers will provide a “pick-me-up” to women with health problems or those who are going through troubled times.

Hair Fantasy recently gave a makeover to a woman whose sister passed away and is now looking after her nephew.

"I can empathize with what she's going through. When you're taking care of someone sick, you forget about yourself," Fury told Patch.

She also shared the story of a woman named Janelle last week:

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