Throughout the month of May and into June, eight hair salons in Burlington, Camden and Ocean Counties, will cut hair to raise money for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Trenton, Providence House Domestic Violence Services.

Mary Pettrow, associate director of PHDVS, explained that last year Catholic Charities asked local area salons to “join us as a ‘partner of peace’ and take a stand against domestic violence in our community” by sponsoring “cut-a-thon” fundraisers in May and June in honor of Mother’s Day, and again in October in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Employees of the salons donate their time and proceeds from the event to assist PHDVS victims of domestic abuse located in Ocean and Burlington Counties.

Pettrow noted that proceeds collected in the two counties will remain in the county in which the salons are located, then emphasized that the cut-a-thons “are not only fundraisers but a way to spread awareness to fight the epidemic of domestic abuse.”

“Together we can make a difference in the lives of others by simply getting a hair cut at one of these events,” she said.

Established in 1978 in Burlington County and in 1986, Ocean County, PHDVS provides an array of services to victims of domestic abuse and their children free of charge. The comprehensive services include, but are not limited to a 24-hour hotline, an undisclosed emergency safe house, non-residential individual and group sessions in the PHDVS’ counseling center in Delran, legal advocacy and the PALS (Peace – A Learned Solution) program for children and teenagers who have witnessed domestic violence in their homes.

Pettrow noted that although the serves provided in the two counties are very similar, there are some programs designed to assist special populations that vary by the county

PHDVS has two major fundraising events, Pettrow said. The Taste of Burlington County, which benefits the Burlington-based program, is held annually and features samplings from restaurants throughout the county along with a gift basket auction. Attendance has been steadily increasing since 1995 and has drawn more than 500 people.

The annual Gift Auction, which benefits the Ocean County-based program, started in 2000 and draws more than 700 attendees with more than 400 gift auction prizes.

Pettrow shared that in both counties, PHDVS enjoys a solid base of support from community members, such as the hair salons, through the Partner in Peace program. A “Partner in Peace” is an individual, business, community group or organization that helps PHDVS in its mission to promote peace in all homes, she said.

Pettrow noted that in 2012, PHDVS-Burlington assisted a total of 2,253 individuals, with 300 being housed in the emergency safe house, while PHDVS-Ocean assisted a total of 2,440 individuals with 224 individuals being housed in the emergency safe house.