A culture of giving

The letter landed on John Di Julius’ desk less than three weeks before Christmas. It was from the parents of one of the many children John Robert’s Hair Studio and Spa had delivered gifts to during the holidays at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital just one year earlier.

“Last Christmas, our 11-year-old son was a patient there on the Oncology floor,” the parents wrote. “Unfortunately, our son passed away on Jan. 15 after being diagnosed with leukemia on December 23. It is very difficult to face this Christmas without him. However, we decided it would be nice to give a donation to help some other child have a nice Christmas … We don’t have much to give, but we know this donation will be put to good use.”

Enclosed was a check they asked Di Julius to use to purchase gifts for other children spending the holidays in the hospital. It was a powerful token of appreciation and a sterling example of why John Di Julius puts such a premium on giving back to the community. While charity work is many times relegated to the holiday season, Di Julius’ Mayfield Heights salon makes it a year-round endeavor.

“When we brought down a few hundred gifts to the kids the first year, the nurse said, ‘This is great, but unfortunately nobody thinks of these kids the other 11 months of the year,’” says Di Julius. “We asked what we could do. Could we come down once a month and provide some services? We started brainstorming.”

Today, two employees travel to the hospital each month to perform free hair, nail and makeup services for children who are patients there, a program that Di Julius believes is by far the most rewarding community service work his company does. However, John Robert’s Hair Studio and Spa sponsors many other programs which benefit children, ranging from free haircuts for students who get straight A’s to collecting school supplies from customers that will be donated to needy children.

Di Julius’ customers play an intricate role in the company’s community service efforts. For example, customers sponsor children from a “sharing wreath” on display at the salon to help assemble the 500 gifts delivered to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital each year.

“I can’t take credit for most of the ideas,” says Di Julius. “The ideas are always brought up by our staff. Like going to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. That was the idea of one of our staff members.”

To come up with new ideas, Di Julius assembled a committee that evaluates the community service work the salon is involved with and develops new ideas. For Di Julius’ more than 100 employees, community giving is an integral part of the corporate culture and is ingrained from the first interview.

During that initial meeting, Di Julius explains his expectations for community giving. Those prospects who don’t respond well to the questions never see a second interview.

“We tell you what our expectations are and as long as your head is shaking and you have a smile on your face afterwards, we’ll take it a step further,” he says. “You have to understand that to work here, it will be part of your job. It’s extra hours, typically, and you don’t get paid for it.

“It’s giving back to the community, it’s promoting goodwill, it’s promoting John Roberts and it’s helping less fortunate people.”

How to reach: John Roberts Hair Studio and Spa, (440) 446-1316

Jim Vickers ([email protected]) is an associate editor at SBN.