The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
THEY’RE A CUT ABOVE
Shear Thairapy opens doors to Operation Open Heart effort
A Lorain salon donated its services and presented care packages to 65 foster children as Operation Open Heart kicked off its 2017 festivities July 24.
Shear Thairapy, 1616 Cooper Foster Park Road, welcomed police, fire and emergency services from around Lorain County who rolled into the parking lot in a motorcade with lights flashing.
Units from Lorain, Amherst, Sheffield Lake, Wellington, Grafton and LifeCare Ambulance Service among others were on hand.
Owner and stylist Karrie Dakin said Shear Thairapy is participating in the program for the first time in an effort which did not go unnoticed by Operation Open Heart members.
“We are offering the kids haircuts and we are donating our time as well as offering them care packages from my dad and some of his friends from his motorcycle group,” Dakin said.
Ohio State Highway Patrol Sgt. Pablo Cruz of the Elyria Post said Shear Thairapy was the only salon in Lorain County to step up and offer its services.
“It’s awesome,” Cruz said. “No other salon in Lorain County opened their doors to us.”
One by one, youngsters received haircuts from stylists including Dakin.
This was the first day of activities of a weeklong camping trip at Mill Hollow in Vermilion.
The week included plane rides at the Lorain County Regional Airport in Elyria and bowling.
Operation Open Heart
was started 55 years ago by Highway Patrol Trooper David Harper, who grew up in an orphanage and wanted to give something back to the community.
Operation Open Heart President Bob Brown, a sergeant with the Lorain Police Department, said in the early days of the organization, it began with a day trip, eventually expanding to a week-long trip.
Brown who has been involved with the organization for more than 20 years, said seeing the youngsters he has mentored grow into adults was enlightening to him.
“It’s a great organization,” he said. “We have had kids over the years who have gone on to bigger and better things ,with some joining the military and some of them have gone into law enforcement.”