Stylists with Hearts Beauty professionals taking part in HIV/ AIDS fundraiser BY LAYLA FARMER THE CHRONICLE AIDS awareness never looked so good. AIDS Care Service is gearing up for one of its most popular fundraising events of the year. The local nonprofit, launched AIDS Hair Service last fall. Stylists hailing from seven different salons took part in the 2007 event, donating the proceeds from a day's worth of hair styling to ACS, which offers resources and programs to local people living with HIV/AIDS. "We felt it would really appeal to all age^; every body gets their hair cut," ACS President Christine Jolly said of the fundraiser. "This is the kind of event where everyone can get involved." Patrons who visit partic ipating salons for the Sept. 14 event are encouraged to pay the off duty stylists more than they typically were charged (a donation of $25 is suggested), as a sign of support for the program. More than 20 local styl ists from a dozen salons have signed on for the '08 fundraiser, nearly doubling participation levels from its inaugural year. "I think it's sort of fresh and new in the community," Jolly remarked. "We have very diverse salons too, and that was the intent of the program from the ,start ." The first Hair Service event was beneficial for stylists as well as ACS, Jolly added. "A lot ot them had an opportunity to really build their clientele because they took walk- ins," she revealed. "And anytime that we get our name out there, it builds awareness." Shirley Bradley will be participating in the AIDS Hair Service event for the first time this year. Bradley first learned of the program from ACS Community Relations Director Amy Lindkey. her client at West End Hair Studio . "1 just thought it was a really good thing," said Bradley, who has been a stylist for nearly 40 years. "To me, it was a no brain er... I love what I do and if I can do something to help somebody else in the process, that's wonderful." Though she only has a few appointments sched uled, Bradley says she's hopeful that walk-ins will fill out the remainder of her day so she can raise as much money as possible for ACS. "Out of all these years I've worked, I think it's time to do something to give back," she related. "I hope to stay busy the whole time." Golden Shears Cosmetologist Greg Felts was also excited to partici pate in this year's AIDS Hair Service event. "I had always wanted to help out with something in the community as far as AIDS is concerned," said Felts, who added that he had lost a dear friend to the dis ease nearly a decade ago. "I hope we'll be real success ful with it." Felts says he's encour aging his AHS clients to donate the considerable amounts ($40 for a women's haircut) they are accus tomed to spending in Golden Shears. "I would like to raise four or five hundred dol lars," he remarked. "I would donate all of it." Felts learned of the proj ect from his partner, Jim Steele, a former member of the now-defunct AIDS Task Greg Felts Force and a community advisor for this year's cam paign. "It was such an impor tant thing to be involved in," Steele said. "It's always exciting^lo do some thing that's different and fun and it's quick and easy... It allows the average person to make a small contribution to a very important cause." The 2008 AIDS Hair Service event will be held Sunday, Sept. 14 from 1-6 pm. To become an AHS stylist or for a list of partic ipating salons, visit wwwxiidscareservice .org or contact Lindsey, at 777 0116 ext. 104 or alind sey@aidscare service .org . Blackstock is new chair of cancer department at Baptist CHRONICLE STAFF REPORT Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center announced last week that Dr. A. William Blackstock Jr., has been named chair of hospital's radiation oncology wing. The appointment of Blackstock, a professor of radiation oncology, became effective Aug. 31. He replaces Dr. Edward G. Shaw, who had been chair since 1995. Shaw stepped down to pursue a mas ter's degree in counsel ing. Blackstock was recently named one of the nation's < top Atncan-Amencan doctors oy tsiacK Enterprise magazine. He earned his medical degree from East Carolina School of Medicine and completed his residency and fellowship at University of North Carolina Hospitals. He told The Chronicle in May that he is one of a very few doc tors who have fellowships under their belts. "If there's anything in my story that makes me a little bit different, it's the fellowship; most folks don't go back and do fellowships after res idency," he said. "For me, the Dr. Blackstock research I was able to gel done in those three years really was the launching pad for things that hap pened to me subsequently, because I actually had some experience, some expertise that not many people had." Blackstock has been on the faculty of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center since 1996. He is an accom plished clinical trial investigator in lung and gastrointestinal cancers who has been the princi pal or co-principal inves tigator for 10 national and international research studies. Blackstock says that as an African-American doctor and researcher, he brings a different perspective to a field that has a very limited number of blacks. He recalled making a key observation that had been over looked by his peers while working on a large scale lung cancer trial. "I asked 'How did the African American patients do?' I'm always curious ... and the response was, 'Well I don't know,"' he related dur ing the recent interview. "We went back ... and we looked to see how African American patients did, and as it turns out, African American patients had lower survival." ? DOUBLE COUPONS! _r to we f?c? vakte. Mo minimum purctutbe n*quin?Hi. Mu win Ituutltu lift U> ItOtKlly nwnullrb li(M? &?? U?w? to* eumplfel* dotcUla chicken thighs or drumsticks Perdue value pack fresh Pepsi products Mriaclsd 2 Iter Hu H cm at biit I *0*U> 1 ?mi r* j Hi *??? ATM EBT We welcome your calta on our toll (?<*; Customer Hotline 1 (BHfl) or on the internet ans for the past 1 7 yects pre-a ppi oval and have ts e opportunity mortgage bankers. Theyw review >i f in cfjOosmg the best IOO!I| >rqg|rRm for you. r " . no yui" 0" - ? to-fipw c < loon approvomKf upon CT*dft h'rHQfy