For the past eight years, the Beauty Bus has held its annual Beauty Drive to raise money to provide beauty and grooming services to terminally ill people and their caregivers. This year, the charity is honoring industry veteran and recently retired American Salon editor-in-chief Marianne Dougherty. Held on Sunday, May 7 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, the family-friendly event will offer supporters and sponsors a sampling of the services Beauty Bus patients receive, including stations for hair, makeup, brows, lashes and nails. A Men’s Lounge and Kids’ Corner ensure that everyone who takes part looks and feels their best. With space for 500 guests, the organization earns one-third of its budget for the following year at this event.
“Our youngest client is one, our oldest client is 101, and 25 percent of our clients are men,” explains Wendy Marantz Levine, founder of the non-profit. “In eight years we have provided 11,500 free beauty and grooming services to nearly 10,000 clients. Our annual Beauty Drive is a great way to draw attention to the foundation as well as to an icon in the beauty industry who shares the same love for people and brands that make it possible for us to do what we do every day.”
Dougherty, who recently retired, spent 27 years as a beauty editor, working as editor-in-chief and publisher of American Salon, editor-in-chief of Launchpad and editor-in-chief of The Colorist. She has interviewed nearly every major hairdresser from Vidal Sassoon to Oribe, and wrote the book Asian Beauty for makeup artist Margaret Kimura. In addition to being featured regularly on television in both New York and Los Angeles as a beauty expert, she has been a guest speaker at industry trade shows and events.
About:
Beauty Bus Foundation (BBF) is a non-profit that provides dignity, hope and respite to chronically and terminally ill men, women and children - and their caregivers - through beauty and grooming treatments and pampering products. BBF was founded in 2009 in memory of Melissa Marantz Nealy, who lost her battle to a degenerative neuromuscular disease when she was 28. When Melissa was sick and could no longer go to a salon or spa, the beauty treatments her family arranged at home made her feel "human again." Melissa's family founded Beauty Bus to bring this same dignity to patients and caregivers when they need it most.
BBF sees clients in their homes as well as at hospitals and social service agency partners, including City of Hope, Mattel Children's Hospital UCLA, Children's Hospital Los Angeles and Ronald McDonald House. For more information, please visit beautybus.org.