COURTESY OF ENID WEISS Barbara Munley (l) gets her hair done by stylist Michelle Tannura (r) at a cut-a-thon at Raymond John Salon on July 12, which raised $1,400 for the boro’s first aid squad. METUCHEN — Several months ago Raymond DiTomasso, owner of the Raymond John hair and nail salon, had an incident that required a call for emergency help.
The Metuchen First Aid Squad responded.
Their response inspired him to hold a cuta thon fundraiser for the first aid squad on July 12.
“I gave a donation, but I wanted to do something more, something nice for them,” DiTomasso said. “Even in this economy, we can do something for them. We’ve been fortunate [at the salon]. We’ve been really busy.”
Instead of the normal price of $55, haircuts were only $25 during the cut-a-thon, and all money taken in was donated to the squad, he said. His employees — stylists, assistants and manicurists — donated their time on Sunday, a day when the salon is normally closed.
“We raised $1,400,” he told the Sentinel the day after the event. “We had a great day, and a lot of people came out.”
Sunday normally is the day Michelle Tannura spends with her family, but instead she was working as one of five stylists at the fundraiser.
“I have 6-year-old twins at home,” she said. “But I think it’s good to give something back. And it’s a great way to meet people.”
The cut-a-thon brought out regular and new customers.
Barbara Munley, who lives in Metuchen, stopped in with her family.
“I read about it in the paper. I got a bad cut [somewhere else] and need it straightened out,” she said just before she sat down for a wash and cut. After the stylist finished, Munley said, “love it” about her new do, and she grabbed some fruit while another stylist finished cuttingMunley’s stepdaughter’s hair. While 15- year-old Aly had been to the salon before, her stepmom hadn’t.
Bagels, fruit and other snacks were provided by Danny and Jenny Slotterback, who own the Bulldog Deli. The salon’s owners and employees are steady Bulldog customers, and the deli owners wanted to join in when they heard that DiTomasso was trying to raise money for the first aid squad.
“A lot of the rescue squad are customers, and we’ve done catering there,” Danny Slotterback said. “You gotta take care of those guys, you never know when you’ll need them.”
DiTomasso said he told people to stop in, grab a bite to eat and gab.
Another customer, Sue Glassberg of Metuchen, is a former volunteer for the squad. On Sunday she was getting her hair done.
“I had an appointment for Wednesday and would have paid more money, so I thought, Why not? It’s a great cause,” Glassberg said.