Meet Martino Cartier -- who some of you may know as a celebrity hairdresser based out of Washington Township, but to me and many others across South Jersey, he's being recognized as a hero.
There are MANY layers to this heart warming story, which is why I had Martino join me on my podcast to talk more in depth about it so you can truly hear how amazing what he's doing is (that of which you can listen to below). But in a jist, here's what's going down:
Martino, who not only owns several salons across the nation but also runs the Wigs and Wishes Foundation which provides wigs to those going through chemotherapy and battling cancer, was asked to help out 6 graduation students from Washington Township High School who's parents have somehow been impacted by cancer. But Martino decided to take It a step further.
Those 6 kids soon turned into the entire graduating glass (approximately 550 students) as well as the entire faculty of the school (over 800 teachers)
With the help of the local community and the power of social media, Martino was able to raise over a quarter million dollars to create HIGH quality and value swag bags for the students (that of which contains meals from local businesses, services to Martino Cartier Salon & even Kim Kardashian fragrances to name a few -- I've listed the rest of the contents at the bottom of this page) and flower bouquets for all of the faculty.
This Saturday, Washington Township Principal, Jonathan Strout, will be making a trip to each graduating Seniors home to personally drop off the swag bags and congratulate them on their achievements.
THAT'S NOT ALL: Cartier is inviting all teachers to the parking lot of his salon between noon and 3 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16 for a parking lot parade with a DJ and MANY volunteers/ parents of students, who will be practicing social distancing while distributing the flowers to show their appreciation.
THAT'S NOT ALL: The project keeps growing... Other schools across South Jersey have picked up on Martino's initiative and have asked him to help them do the same at their schools!
THAT'S ALSO NOT ALL: Martino got a celebrity impersonator to give a virtual commencement speech for the graduating class... and It's pretty damn good if you ask me.
To see all that and more, keep scrolling & listen to the podcast on Serving SiRACHa with Martino Cartier to hear more about this amazing journey to unite our community amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic.