Harper, Tricoci team up for women's program
Vera Davis walked into the Mario Tricoci salon wearing a faux ponytail hairpiece.
She walked out wearing a smile.
It was vivid proof that Davis, a recent graduate of Harper College's Women's Program, was thrilled with her makeover: fresh makeup and a chic new hairdo that gave her a whole new look and rendered her curly faux ponytail, which she chucked straight into the trash, useless.
Davis was one of six Women's Program graduates treated to a complimentary makeover this month, thanks to a partnership between the Harper College Educational Foundation and Mario Tricoci.
And her smile was one of many.
The women grinned, laughed and chatted their way through shampoos, cuts, blowouts, eye shadow applications, lipstick tricks and more, emerging with new hairstyles and makeup applications aimed at rewarding their hard work and further bolstering their self image.
"These women were equipped by Harper to tackle life with new skills and purpose," says John Gialluisi, Mario Tricoci Hair Salons & Day Spas creative director, who oversaw the makeovers at the Schaumburg salon. "Now they can go forward with the confidence that comes with a new, professional look."
The pampering was a rare treat for participant Michelle Bougan of Palatine, a mother of two who found help through Harper's Women's Program following a messy divorce. For several years, she juggled single motherhood, a fulltime job and college classes, and now has an associate degree and a Harper certificate program under her belt. She's applied to several nursing schools.
"I'm so ecstatic," says Bougan, who grew out her hair for weeks in anticipation of the big makeover. With sparkling eyes, she happily watched the stylist chop off a few inches and add new, face-framing layers. "I'm so grateful to have this opportunity in my life."
The Rita and John Canning Women's Program at Harper College provides education, career planning, life skills and other needed support to displaced homemakers, single parents, those with limited English proficiency and others. Most are domestic violence victims.
The program, one of few of its kind still going strong amid decreased state funding, is seeing enrollment climb in today's tough economic times. More than 415 women now are enrolled in the program, up 23 percent from last year. Typically, the program serves 350 women a year.
"We provide hope to so many people who have nowhere else to turn," Women's Program director Kathleen Canfield says. "The makeovers were like icing on the cake."
Christine Koch of Mount Prospect, a divorced mom who collected her nursing degree at Harper's May graduation and took her board exams on makeover day, agrees. When she received an email explaining the makeovers, "I thought it was a joke," she says. "I would never be able to afford going there on my own. And I haven't done anything for myself in - I don't know how many years."
Harper's Women's Program relies heavily on community donations. A "100 Influential Women" campaign was launched earlier this year to raise $100,000 for program scholarships. The effort is only $12,000 short of reaching that goal. To donate, visit harpercollege.edu/foundation.
Mario Tricoci was voted Chicago's best hair salon by Allure magazine and selected by Chicagoans in a FOX News poll as the top spa in Chicago. For more, visit tricoci.com.