Wella, the salon professional division of P&G,  announced Raun Hairdressers and Day Spa in Willoughby, Ohio as the Hairdressers At Heart Charity Challenge Grand Prize Winner. Ruan’s event planner Maria Dietz and co-owner Nicole Joeright will receive the $10,000 grant for their compelling dedication to community outreach programs benefiting the American Heart Association.

Since 2008, Dietz has rallied the owners and staff at Raun Hairdressers and Day Spa to spearhead salon events to raise awareness of heart health. A portion of the proceeds generated from the salon events, called ‘Color Me Red,’ were donated to the American Heart Association’s “Go Red for Women” campaign. 

Dietz says, “With the grant we are planning to grow ‘Color Me Red’into a broader event that involves more salons and more clients. I’ve been touched personally by heart disease—both by mother and father have heart disease—so I know the heavy toll the disease can take on both men and women.”

 Jeffrey Embleton, Chair of the Cleveland affiliate office of the American Heart Association says, “Women and hairdressers are often so focused on being the caregivers; they often forget to take care of themselves. ‘Color Me Red’ is designed to generate conversation around the key issues of heart disease, and to help women understand the key contributing factors to heart disease, such as nutrition, physical fitness and stress management.”

“Stylists are so influential in their communities and can be very effective in driving awareness,” says Naomi Sayles, Regional Sales Manager for Wella North America. “By harnessing the powerful one-on-one interaction they have with clients, they can take charitable causes to the next level. Plus, this challenge is a unique opportunity for hairdressers to tap into a level of corporate funding that’s not typically available to individuals.”

In addition to the $10,000 Grand Prize, Wella will award 19 other Charity Challenge finalists a total of $43,000 in Charity Challenge grants this calendar year. The other winning entries are (listed by award level and in alphabetical order):

• Two (2) First Prizes of USD $5,000: David Icard for Wig Bank Of Caldwell County, Bold and Beautiful, Lenoir, NC; Leslie Rice for Mental Health Mental Retardation, Gold Waves Salon, Fort Worth, TX.

• Four (4) Second Prizes of USD $2,500: Lorrene Conino  for Celebrating All That is Feminine, Salon Lorrene, Lake Zurich, IL; James Grubbs for Wounded Wear, Twist Salon, Norfolk, VA; Jason Schwind for the Vertile Foundation, Wind Salon at Scarlet, Denver, CO; Bridgett Vohland for Monroe County Casa, Royale Hair Parlor, Bloomington, IN.

• Thirteen (13) Third Prizes of USD $1,000: Martino Cartier for Friends Are By Your Side, Martino Cartier Salon, Blackwood, NJ; Michael John Derricott for Makeovers That Matter, Mj Hair, West Hollywood, CA; Jessica Darnell for Women’s Shelter, Studio 135 Salon and Day Spa, Whiteland, IN; Stephen Graham for Resolution Hope, Eikon Hair Lounge, Wexford, PA; Timothy Hays for Lost-N-Found Youth, Inc., Salon Red, Pine Lake, GA; Rebecca Lee for Miles Of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation, Bella Luci Salon, Pleasant Valley, NY; Deanna Mcculloch for North Cariboo Multi Center, Spa Rivier, Quesnel, BC; Joanie Mcquade for Christine E. Stump Pancreatic Cancer Research, Jmac Hair Studio & Day Spa, Powell, OH; Jennifer Miller for Outrun the Sun, A do hair design, Indianapolis, IN; Clare Schwartz for Remedies Domestic Violence Shelter, High Maintenance Salon And Spa, Winnebago, IL; Candy Shaw Codner for Hurricane Sandy Victims/The Red Cross, Jamison Shaw Hairdressers, Atlanta, GA; Melissa Stansell for Practice Without Pressure, Inc., The Headquarters, Wilmington, DE; Denise Wetherell for Pamper for a Purpose, Shear Creations, West Linn, OR.

Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart™ Charity Challenge is part of Wella’s Hairdressers at Heart program, which provides lifetime career support at four critical stages of a hairdresser’s career: student, new talent, working hairdresser and salon owner. Aimed to help hairdressers and salon owners amplify their contributions to charity within their local communities, the competition garnered 112 entries from across North America. Participants submitted videos and essays that revealed their passion and actionable efforts towards causes such as heart disease research, domestic abuse shelters and autism awareness. Finalists were chosen by a combination of online public voting and a judging panel of industry experts.

The next Hairdressers at HeartCharity Challengewill commence in the spring of 2014. For more information and updates, please visit www.HairdressersAtHeart.com.