NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Stylists at a Nassau County hair salon are doing something they never done before on Sunday.
They are raising money to prevent suicides through the work they do.
Recommended Videos
Inside Moxie Salon and Spa at 463688 State Road 200 in Yulee, stylists will “Pamper with a Purpose” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
All the money they make that day will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention as September is National Suicide Prevention Month.
This effort means a lot to Zoey Schmidt. She lost her close friend, Emily Kline, to suicide in 2019.
Kline was just 14 years old.
“[Emily] was really kind,” said Schmidt, who became a licensed cosmetologist in January. “No one knew anything was going on or anything like that until everything happened. Just really pay attention to people who seem happy because you never know.”
Schmidt’s mother, Joy, owns the salon that opened for business in May 2024.
Services the salon is offering on Sunday include hair cuts, eye brow waxes, and massages.
Joy says she and Zoey have learned crucial ways to live healthily and treat people with empathy,
“All I could do as a mother was to be there for her,” Joy said. “Help her cope and figure out how to push through the tragedy that she was dealing with in her life.”
“Talking about it and everything that you are feeling,” Zoey said is what has helped her deal with grief. “Feel the emotions. Cry when you need to and don’t mask it. Let everything out when you need to.”
As Donna Aginsky got her hair done, she lost a co-worker to suicide about 10 years ago.
“I felt that maybe I should have spoken more to her and been there for her more to realize what a situation she was in and what she was feeling,” Aginsky said. “You cannot blame yourself. The most that you can do is be there for the survivors and support them as best as you can.”
Those at this salon want to honor Kline’s life, remember others and help people who may be struggling mentally.
“Be kinder to people because you never know what someone is going through,” Zoey said. “Be kinder. Reach out more.”
“We never know what somebody is really going through mentally,” Joy said. “The biggest thing is just push through, remember the good memories that you had with those people.”
People can still make donations even if they cannot make it to the salon on Sunday.
Click here to send in a donation to the salon’s PayPal which if found on it’s Facebook page.