Want to look your best while supporting Albie Aware and its mission? Sisters Nicole Lamb and Andie Crouch are just the people to help give breast cancer the brush off. They own J. Dressler Salon on East Stockton Boulevard in Elk Grove and they are strong supporters of Albie Aware.
“We’ve been in business in the same location for 20 years,” Nicole says with pride in her voice. That’s a lot of hair under the dryers and a whole lot of makeup and nail polish!
Nicole is an esthetician and sister Andie is a hairdresser, and they have a lot of help. Their large, full-service salon includes a total of two estheticians, two manicurists, one massage therapist, and 11 hairdressers.
Looking good outside and feeling good inside
Besides feeling great about the way they look, J. Dressler’s clients can get a warm feeling by helping others through the salon’s annual “Albie Stylin” fundraiser.
Nicole says that the inspiration for Albie Stylin is hairstylist Laureen Kastonos, she is a ten-year breast cancer survivor and has worked at J. Dressler for 16 years.
“Many clients and staff in the shop watched her go through this and wanted to be a part of the solution and support her,” Nicole explains. “It’s a hard thing to watch.”
Finding the right organization
Albie Stylin started in 2014 and is held each year in October. For 2019, the event expanded to September as well.
Nicole says, “We started out wanting to support people with breast cancer and didn’t even know what we were going to do with the money. Initially, we sent it to a national organization and never heard anything about it. Then, we learned about Albie Aware through CPA Mary Walters, a former board member. She recommended Albie Aware so enthusiastically, and when we realized it was a local organization, we knew it was the right organization to support.”
How does Albie Stylin work?
“For a month or so we collect donated gifts from vendors, including all kinds of hair supplies and products, restaurant gift cards, and so much more,” Nicole says. “We place signs at each stall so the clients can read what the fundraiser is about. Nobody has to tell them. It’s a soft sell and if people want to participate, they bring it up. Raffle tickets cost $5.00 each. A lot of clients in the shop get prizes. Whatever money we get goes to Albie Aware.”
An Albie Carson connection
Nicole describes one especially touching moment, “We have this cool poster that can be signed by whoever purchases a ticket. Sometimes they sign in honor of someone. The funniest thing is somebody signed in honor of Albie Carson (the inspiration for Albie Aware) and didn’t even realize it was for her organization. We make sure to sign her name every year now.”
Keeping it local matters
“We’re so glad to do this,” Nicole says, “And when I tell everyone what Albie Aware stands for and that we’re helping our community, it makes us proud and they want to be a part of it with us. You know that it goes to our own men and women in the area. We know that we’re making a difference and not just wondering if we’re making a difference.”
