Community

$40 Instant SK Cash toward Coppola Keratin Treatment or Airwave Curling Treatment

We have an amazing, limited time promotion! Now through March 11, 2017, you receive $40 instant SK Cash toward a Coppola Keratin Treatment* or an Airwave Curling Treatment.

AirWaveBeforeAndAfter

Airwave Before and After – beautiful, subtle, soft curl.

 

Keratins

Coppola Keratin Treatments smooth the hair cuticle – removing frizz and therefore reducing blow dry time.

 

* Cannot be combined with other offers or promotions except our new client referral gift card. Cannot be redeemed for cash or other services. Promotion applied toward full Coppola Keratin Treatment or Airwave Perm Curling Treatment only. The Airwave is available only at our Fairfax location. Valid from February 17, 2017 through March 11, 2017. Limited appointments available.

Ellie’s Hats: Our February Community Outreach Partner

Ellie's HatsEllie’s Hats is a Northern Virginia Non-Profit who seeks to bring joy and help to local families whose children are battling cancer. Ellie’s Hats was inspired by a sweet NoVa girl, Ellie Whitfield, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the Spring of 2013. After losing her hair from chemotherapy, Ellie began to wear different fun hats to school to help express her personality. Her P.E. teacher, Jay Coakley, noticed her affinity for “fun and cheery hats” and organized a hat drive to provide Ellie with a broader selection of hats to wear – and thus was born Ellie’s Hats! Thousands of children across the country now receive new hats through Ellie’s Hats.

In addition to providing joy to kids battling cancer by providing unique, fun hats, Ellie’s Hats collects gift cards and other items to give to local families whose children are battling cancer. Also, in 2014, Ellie’s Hats worked closely with Team Mathias to introduce a Cure Childhood Cancer License Plate in honor of Mathias Giordano to help spread awareness about childhood cancers. Mathias, diagnosed in 2012 with Osteosarcoma, inspired thousands through his determined cheer, his powerful courage and his extreme kindness. Mathias passed after a 28 month battle in December 2014.

We are so honored to partner with Ellie’s Hats by selecting them again as our February Community Outreach Partner. We will be donating $1 from every haircut this February to this amazing, local non-profit. Also, you too can help Ellie’s Hats directly by going to their upcoming fundraiser on March 10th at Blackfinn Ameripub in Ashburn.

ElliesHatsHappyHour

Freezin’ for a Reason in 2017!

This is our third year jumping as a team into the ice cold water of Lake Anne. But, we sort of have a soft spot for kids, particularly kids fighting life-threatening diseases such as cancer. We encourage you to join our team and jump with us! Or, make a donation to support our jump. No amount is too small! We have learned that little makes big and appreciate every dollar you donate to support Camp Sunshine.

2016 SK Team Polar Dip Jumpers

2016 SK Team Polar Dip Jumpers

This year, we are again jumping in memory of precious Kate Rhoades. Kate was just four years old when she lost her battle to leukemia on Jan 12, 2016 after a sudden and unexpected relapse. To know Kate was to love her. Her sweet little smile and curiosity about life was contagious. We will never forget her and are honored to jump in her memory so that we can share her story with others.

Adorable Kate.

Adorable Kate.

2016 was a relentless year for cancer. Our local community lost several amazing kids to this disease – Kate, Alex, and Daniel. SK Stylist, Jelena Williams, also learned that her friend’s daughter, Savvie, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. We are also jumping to honor these sweet and amazing kids. Our heart is broken into a million pieces each time another child is taken by cancer. We hope Kate, Mathias, Gavin, Gabby, Erin, Delaney, Alex, Chris, Isabella, Casey, Kylie, Erin, Declan, Shannon and others who lost their battles too soon are watching us jump like maniacs into the ice cold waters of Lake Anne with tremendous grins on their sweet faces!

100% of money raised goes to send local families who have children battling a critical illness for a week of respite to Camp Sunshine. Camp Sunshine provides encouragement, relaxation, joy, and hope to children with life-threatening illnesses and their immediate families from around the world through the various stages of their journeys. The year-round program is free of charge to all families, and includes 24-hour onsite medical and psychosocial support. Camp Sunshine also provides bereavement sessions for families who have lost a child to supported illnesses.

We will be donating $1 from every haircut from both our Fairfax an Dulles locations this January to Camp Sunshine. Additionally, we will be drawing one lucky winner for a $100 Gift Certificate to Salon Khouri from everyone who donates toward our jump!

 

Epic inspiration from a boy named Mathias

by Jennifer Elkhouri

mathiasIf you want to see love, and I mean real love, just take a few minutes to scroll through photos on the Team Mathias Facebook page. I will warn you — there is such beautiful love displayed in these photos that you will be overwhelmed.

Mathias exuded love. Through his smile. Through his heart for others. Even while he himself was battling osteosarcoma, he was always thinking of how to help others and to put others before him. Selfless love.

You will see photos of Mathias’ brother, Troy, and Mathias’ mom and dad, Roya and Chris. And in those photos, you will see the tremendous love they have for each other and Mathias.

In other photos, you will see teams of people jumping into ice cold water for Mathias; hundreds gathering in a field to create a gigantic human yellow-gold ribbon for Mathias, and you will see many photos of breathtaking sunsets shot days after Mathias passed when the evening sky displayed colors that only seem possible in dreams. You will indeed see beautiful displays of love from Mathias, from his family, and from the community that surrounded him during his battle with cancer.

childhood_cancer_plate32You will also see lots of photos scattered throughout of Cure Childhood Cancer license plates — a plate that didn’t exist in Virginia prior to 2015. Mathias wanted so badly to spread awareness about Childhood Cancer and his passion inspired the ‘Mathias Bill’, or HB1319, which created a Cure Childhood Cancer specialty license plate available in Virginia. (Other states are following and creating specialty Childhood Cancer Plates! #Epic!) Roya worked with Jay Coakley of Ellie’s Hats, and Del. Tag Greason (R-32nd), to create the bill in honor of Mathias after Roya learned there was no specialty plate in Virginia for childhood cancer. Upon telling Mathias that there was no specialty plate to spread awareness about the disease he and many other children were battling, Mathias replied, “That can’t be right. Everyone knows what the pink ribbon stands for. We have to get the gold out there, Mom.” Our cars proudly display CC plates and we would love to honor Mathias by asking you to apply for a specialty Cure Childhood Cancer plate for your cars through the DMV. Let’s make the yellow gold ribbon as ubiquitous as the pink ribbon in honor of Mathias and other precious children who have lost their battle to cancer.

Mathias passed on December 7, 2014. I had never met him, but had been following his story on Facebook as our family prayed for him daily. We did little things from afar to support Mathias. I asked our kids if they would like to be a part of the giant gold ribbon mathiasribbongathering in to support Mathias — it was something we felt we could do to show our support and love for him. There was just something about Mathias that grabbed my heart. A lot of these kids do, but Mathias really drew me in. He was the kind of boy I wanted our son to grow to be – kind, loving, trusting in God, and with an excellent sense of humor to boot! Our family was devastated when he passed. I attended Mathias’ funeral and sat next to a group of young girls about Mathias’ age. I wept with them and shared my tissues. My heart was broken to pieces for Mathias’ family — for such a heavy and hard loss. It’s almost been two years and I still think of Mathias almost daily. I smile with joy when I see photos of Mathias. Our littlest yells out, “Mathias!” anytime she spots a Team Mathias bumper sticker, shirt or a CC license plate. I wave at drivers who have CC plates and smile, thinking of what an inspiration Mathias continues to be to so many.

This December, Salon Khouri is donating $1 from every haircut from both our Fairfax and Dulles Landing locations to Team Mathias. Additionally, we are collecting gift cards to donate to Team Mathias for Team Mathias Care Packages. Mathias wanted to create care packages for families of children battling cancer. He especially wanted siblings included! Gift cards from Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Itunes, and Amazon are perfect for these Care Packages. And, for each gift card you bring to Salon Khouri for donation to a Team Mathias Care Package, we will enter you into a drawing to win a $50 Salon Khouri Gift Certificate as our way of saying thank you. Also, if you have a Cure Childhood Cancer plate, post a photo to our Facebook page to be entered into a drawing to win a customized Kevin Murphy Treat.Me hair treatment and blow dry!

Ensuring meals for our neighbors in need

We are so blessed and honored to be able to support our community. It’s one of the things we love most about being entrepreneurs! This November, we have once again selected Dulles South Food Pantry (DSFP) for our community outreach partner for our Dulles Landing Location and we have selected Western Fairfax Christian Ministries (WFCM) Food Pantry for our community outreach partner for our Fairfax location. Both non-profits serve by ensuring our neighbors have food on their tables. We will be donating $1 from every haircut in the month of November from our Fairfax location to WFCM and $1 from every haircut from our Dulles Landing location to DSFP.

wcfmlogoDullesSouthFoodPantry

We just love what these two organizations are doing for our communities by providing the most basic of needs to our friends and neighbors. In 2015, WFCM served 889 households with 32,776 bags of free groceries. In 2015, Dulles South Food Pantry gave over 95,000 pounds of food to our neighbors in need.

In addition to donating a portion of our November proceeds, we will also be collecting food items for both WFCM (Fairfax location) and DSFP (Dulles Landing location). Please see a list of needs below and please bring in non expired items only. To thank you for your generosity, for every item you donate, you will be entered into a raffle to win a Kevin Murphy Treat.Me conditioning treatment!

 Items Needed for WFCM

  • Canned tuna, ham, chicken, turkey or beef
  • Canned fruit
  • Peanut butter and jelly
  • Cereal and oatmeal
  • Beans – canned or dried
  • Macaroni and cheese
  • Pasta and pasta sauces
  • Rice (small bags or boxes)
  • Canned tomatoes – whole, diced, or stewed
  • 100% fruit juice
  • Flour, sugar, oil

 

 Items Needed for DSFP

  • Fruit (canned, plastic or dried)
  • Instant mashed potatoes
  • Gravy (cans, jars or dry packets)
  • Boxed shelf stable milk
  • Tomato products of all kind
  • Corn bread or corn muffin mix
  • Dry mixes for rolls or pie crust
  • Canned tuna, chicken or meat
  • Crispy fried onions
  • Yams
  • Cooking oils
  • Pancake or baking mix
  • Breakfast cereal and oatmeal
  • Breakfast bars, granola bars
  • Grocery store gift cards

 

Tigerlily Foundation is making strides in the Metastatic Breast Cancer Field

Tigerlily logoWe are so happy to be once again partnering with Tigerlily Foundation, a local non-profit committed to educating young women around the world about breast cancer and empowering them to be their own best advocates. Tigerlily Foundation was founded by Maimah Karmo after she was diagnosed with breast cancer at just 32 years young. Thankfully, Maimah’s faith and tremendous family support got her through her treatments. She emerged on the other side a transformed woman and wanted to create an organization that would help other young women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Tigerlily Foundation recently partnered with Dr. Nikhil Wagle, of The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project, led by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, a nonprofit academic research institution whose mission is to dramatically accelerate the understanding and treatment of disease. The Metastatic Breast Cancer Project is taking a new approach to cancer research itigerlilyalertsn which researchers partner directly with patients, who share their samples and clinical information in order to speed important discoveries. The project is being launched and funded by the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard — a non-profit academic research institution with a mission to dramatically accelerate the understanding and treatment of disease — and conducted in collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and advocacy partners. The project’s goal is to reach out to patients with metastatic breast cancer around the country in order to study their cancer using cutting-edge genomic and molecular research studies performed at the Broad Institute by allowing patients to participate in these studies regardless of where they live. If you have been diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer while you were 45 years or younger, you could help! Please visit the Tigerlily Foundation website to learn more. Additionally, you are invited to participate in the 5th Annual Young Women’s Breast Health Day on the Hill on Tuesday, 12/6/16.  The focus this year is related to metastatic breast cancer with Dr. Wagle participating. See the flyer below for more details.

This October, Salon Khouri will donate $1 from every haircut from our Fairfax and Dulles locations to Tigerlily Foundation. Additionally, we are participating in our 11th year of the Pink Hair for Hope campaign! Come in for a pink extension for $10 per strand with all proceeds going to breast cancer research funding through the Pink Hair for Hope project.

Tigerlily Foundation Young Women's Breast Health Day on the Hill

One of the hardest posts to write …

I wish I could say that in the nine years we’ve been advocating for childhood cancer, we have seen a decrease in childhood cancer rates. This is not the case.

Childhood cancer rates have increased 29% in the past twenty years. That’s right, 29%. This disease is not rare, nor does it discriminate. I’ve seen it take down families of all races and economic status.

I wish I could say that in the past nine years, there’s been an increase in the number of new drugs specifically formulated for childhood cancer. This is not the case.

In 2015, there were 51 new drugs approved by the FDA. Only one out of 51, Unituxin, was specifically created for childhood cancer. Out of all drugs in 2015 approved by the FDA, only 2% of those drugs were intended to help children battling cancer. You may think, “well, that’s just 2015. Surely, in the past twenty years, there have to be at least 10 drugs created for childhood cancers?” Sadly, no. There have been only three drugs specifically formulated for childhood cancers since 1995 out of 632 new drugs approved by the FDA in that time frame. That means, only 0.5% of all drugs approved in the past 20 years were made specifically to help children battling cancer. In fact, most therapies given to children battling cancer were never formulated for their little, unique bodies. The long-term affects and secondary illness that many of these drugs have on these children is devastating.

I also wish I could say that in the past nine years, the National Cancer Institute increased research funding for these children since there is little being spent by big pharma on childhood cancer research. Sadly, I cannot say this is true.

The National Cancer Institute allocates just 4% of their research dollars to childhood cancer funding. That’s right, just four cents on every dollar is put aside for our children. Please don’t get me wrong, I am not saying other cancers and critical illness are not important. But children battling cancer deserve more than 4% of available funding. It’s as if we are putting our kids in a hot, barren desert and giving them a water bottle only 4% full. The journey will be excruciating for all, and many will not survive it. We have to do more for our children.

And this last point, this one is the hardest for me to write.

I wish I could say none of our friends have been affected by childhood cancer. Oh how I wish I could say that. In 2013, we wrote about kids we have known personally who have been diagnosed. Kate Rhoades was mentioned in that post. I have known Kate’s mom, Lindsay, since the mid-90s, when we worked together at a non-profit. Lindsay and I were pregnant at the same time in 2011 – I with our third and Lindsay with her first, Kate Olivia Rhoades.

On August 15, 2013, Kate was diagnosed with Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, you know, the “good cancer.” (Please, if anyone ever says that, slap them. There are no good cancers). Kate, was just two and a half years old when she was diagnosed. She was put on the standard protocol for children diagnosed with ALL, which is a little over two years of chemotherapy. Yes, you read that correctly, two years. But, Kate was mighty and surprised her doctors and her parents by how well she did throughout. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t all roses. There was a nausea, fear, tears, and bad, bad steroid weeks. But Kate had a tremendous support system of family, friends, doctors and nurses carrying her through. Kate also had Lovey, her sweet, pink comfort bear-blankey, who was always by her side.

On September 14, 2015, the Rhoade’s rejoiced at Kate’s last day of chemo. It was time to celebrate! Kate was in preschool, there were fall outings, and a Disney trip through The Make a Wish Foundation. Lots of time to be recovered after two years of cancer treatments, that’s for sure! And, Kate relished in her new, cancer-free life! In mid-December, Kate had her four month post-treatment counts done and everything came back great!

I wish I could say that’s how Kate’s story ended. But, cancer is viciously cruel and insidious. It lurks in the shadows, undetected and unsuspected. On January 11th, Mike and Lindsay took Kate to the hospital after she’d been sick with what seemed to everyone, including doctors, as a cold. On January 12th, just 15 hours after being admitted, Kate was gone.

From she’s perfect to she has relapsed took 26 days. From relapse to “there’s nothing more we can do” took 15 hours.

Last night, we took a very, very sick Kate to the PICU where the amazing team did everything they could. Leukemia had absolutley taken over. Her spleen & liver were enlarged. There was an infection in her blood. They could not stabalize her and she quickly reatained fluid. Her heart could not handle the pressure. They did CPR on her twice before our very eyes.

They did all they could. But this morning, our angel, our Kit Kat, and the world we live in died.

We are home and accepting love.

The above was posted by Lindsay the morning Kate was taken from them by cancer. The post is heart-wrenching, and brings back a flood of memories from that morning. Where I was when I heard the news. How I wailed and cried for it not to be true. And memories of the weeks following. Visiting Lindsay and Mike at home, seeing Lovey right next to Lindsay, within arms reach. Attending the funeral for Kate and seeing a tiny, white coffin adorned with flowers at the front of a church. Listening to Lindsay’s beautiful words she wrote to Kate in a letter just hours after Kate died. Watching my breath hit the cold, winter air as I recited Psalm 23 at the burial, praying for all of it to be a bad dream.

This is childhood cancer. This is the reality. It’s a devastating disease that thrives on the element of surprise. And it’s on the rise. A child is diagnosed every two minutes and seven children die from cancer each day. We have to do more. We have to stop this from becoming a reality for even one more child.

We urge you to follow Lindsay’s writings on The Prayers for Kate Facebook page. Her writing is beautiful and captivating. In it, you can feel the pull of joy and grief, oftentimes in the same sentence. She will continue to share about Kate, which blesses her and Mike immensely. For families who have lost their children to cancer, one of the only fears they have left in life is that their child will be forgotten. Do things to honor and remember Kate and other children who have lost their battle to cancer. Following the Prayers for Kate page will help do that.

Other ways you can help:

  • Share posts from the Prayers for Kate Facebook page, the Truth 365 and other childhood cancer groups to help spread awareness. One day, gold in September will be as ubiquitous as pink in October.
  • Sign the petition at The Truth 365 to make Childhood Cancer Research a national priority.
  • Hold a lemonade stand, jump in the Virginia Polar Dip, perform a #RandomActOfKateness, shave your head, or just share Kate’s story with one person today.
  • Visit Salon Khouri to make an in-salon donation to The Pediatric Dream Team of Oncologists via The Truth 365 and help our store front to go gold this September.
  • Have a $10 yellow-gold extension added to your hair at Salon Khouri with net proceeds being donated.
  • Get a haircut in September at Salon Khouri and we will donate $1 from every haircut to AWOCCF/The Truth 365.
  • Come to CureFest in DC! It’s a FREE family friendly event where you can learn more about childhood cancer and organizations working to make a difference. There will be face painting, music and a Crazy Hair Day booth 😉
  • Pray for these children, their families, and for researchers seeking to find less toxic treatments for children battling cancer.
The Rhoades Family, two months before Kate was diagnosed with leukemia.

The Rhoades Family, two months before Kate was diagnosed with leukemia.

Kate at Fairfax Hospital, learning about tubies.

Kate at Fairfax Hospital, learning about tubies.

KateWithLovey

Kate with Lovey.

 

Kate - with sweet Lovey peeking out of the covers.

Kate – with sweet Lovey peeking out of the covers.

Kate3MonthsPostTreatment

Kate, in late December 2015

 

Lovey Bear

Lovey Bear

 

Purchase a raffle ticket to help us reach our $1000 pledge to Stillbrave

This August, we are donating $1 from every haircut to Stillbrave Childhood Cancer Foundation to support Tattoo Tom Mitchell in the 200 Ultra Marathon he is running. However, we wanted to pledge $1000 to Stillbrave but we aren’t quite at 1,000 haircuts a month (though it’s a goal we hope to one day reach!!) To help bridge the gap, we will be holding Lemonade Stands and are also hosting a raffle.

Raffle Details

  • Tickets are just $1 each!
  • We will select two winners on September 1st.
  • The winners get to choose between an amazing 60 minute Signature Facial OR a fabulous haircut and blowdry with our Signature Shampoo.

Purchase 1 ticket – you receive one entry. Purchase 5, and you are upping your odds! We appreciate your help! Together, we are helping local children battling cancer and their families through Stillbrave.

To purchase raffle tickets, simply click the Buy Now button below. You can use any credit card/debit card listed below or your PayPal account. Also, you may change the quantity to purchase more tickets after you click the Buy Now button, just be sure to click the Update link below the Quantity field on the next page.




Tattoo Tom vs the Volcano

We are proudly supporting local non-profit, Stillbrave Childhood Cancer Foundation again as our August Community Outreach partner by donating $1 from every haircut in the month of August from both our Fairfax and Dulles Landing locations!

The founder of Stillbrave, Tattoo Tom, is on a mission and we are honored to help. He is battling daily to provide non-medical, supportive care to children with cancer and their families. Stillbrave is committed to helping the families of children battling cancer in any way they can. While they are fighting the toughest war of their lives, Stillbrave will fight their lesser battles, so they don’t have to. To do this, Stillbrave relies on donations from the community, and Tom will do just about anything to help these kids, including auctioning off tattoo sponsorship on his body, to running in 50 mile, 100 mile and 200 mile ultra marathons. What we love the most about Tom, though, is his heart. He falls in love with the kids he supports and will do just about anything to bring a smile to their faces. He suffers when they suffer and celebrates their milestones. Tom knows personally how cancer can rip a parent apart. Cancer stole his daughter, Shayla, from him when she was just 16. Distraught and devastated, Tom thought, “why didn’t someone DO something.” Then he realized, “I am somebody.” Thus was born Stillbrave.tattoos-005

While they are fighting the toughest war of their lives, Stillbrave will fight their lesser battles, so they don’t have to.

On August 12-16, 2016, Tom will be once again participating in an ultra marathon to raise money for Stillbrave families. This one is the Bigfoot 200, a point to point traverse of some of the most wild trails in the Cascade Mountain range of Washington State. The race ends in Randle, WA after crossing the Cascade Mountains from Mount St. Helens to Mt. Adams and along ridge lines with views of volcanoes Mt. Rainier, Mt. Hood, and Mt Adams. It literally is Tattoo Tom vs. The Volcano.

What can you do to help?

  • Sponsor the fundraiser directly via Stillbrave.
  • Visit Salon Khouri the month of August for a haircut and we will donate $1 from every haircut from both locations.
  • Leave donations in the collection jars at Salon Khouri. All money donated will be added to the total as we aim to raise $1000 through our donations and yours.
  • Purchase a RAFFLE ticket – all money will help us reach our $1000 that we have pledged to Stillbrave. Tickets are just $1 and you could win a 60 minute Signature Facial or a haircut and blowdry with one of our amazing and talented stylists — you get to choose the prize! We will draw two winners. The more tickets you purchase, the higher your odds are to win!
  • Like us on Facebook to keep track of pop-up raffles, lemonade stands, etc. that we will be holding to help us reach our $1000 goal.
  • Pray for Tom’s safety as he participates in the Bigfoot 200!

We are here to help spread awareness and raise money for childhood cancer. We believe that our children, your children, deserve #MoreThan4. You see, out of the $4.9 billion dollar budget allocated to the National Cancer Institute, only 4% of that is allocated to childhood cancer research. And, a recent study by the World Health Organization shows a child is diagnosed with cancer every two minutes. Childhood cancer is not rare. Yet, there is very little funding on the pharma side and a minuscule amount of funding on the federal side. Our children deserve more and deserve funding for less toxic treatments. They also need local advocates like Tom, who will fight for them, providing daily essentials to their families helping them through the childhood cancer battlefield.