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Making a Difference: Rio Spa & Salon
The family who gives together stays together. Just ask the employees at the Rio Spa and Salon, or the Gellets, who made giving back a family (and extended family) affair at the Rio’s 2nd annual Locks of Love Cut-a-Thon in August. The event was held in honor of Rylie Cruz, the granddaughter of a longtime Rio employee, who lost her battle with cancer earlier this year.
Seven-year-old Rowena Gellet heard about the Cut-a-Thon and decided to donate her 19-inch ponytail, which had never been cut. Her father, Michael Gellet, donated 22-inches, bringing in the second longest donation of the day. The longest ponytail donation came from 12-year-old Hope Marroquin, who donated a Rapunzel-worthy 26-inch ponytail.
In total, the event raised 61 ponytails to benefit the nonprofit organization Locks of Love. Their mission is to return a sense of self-confidence and normalcy to children suffering from hair loss by using donated hair to create high-quality hair prosthetics. These wigs and hairpieces are then donated to children that have lost their own hair due to medical conditions like alopecia areata and cancer. The Rio will continue to collect ponytail donations all year long. If you’ve got some to give, visit www.riolasvegas.com or call 777-7779.
