There are around 740,000 licensed beauty professionals in the U.S. that were displaced from their jobs due to COVID-19. Many beauty professionals have been out of work for over 90 days while the U.S. has mandated closures during quarantine.
We know this is a very tough time for everyone, but especially our industry. That’s why we created our COVID-19 Emergency Relief Grants.
Since May 2020, we’ve awarded over $256,000 in relief grants to future & licensed beauty professionals.
Please note this program has concluded and will not be awarding additional grants.
Black
Asian
Caucasian
Latinx
Middle-Eastern
Before the outbreak hit the states I opened up a salon suite. I used up all of the money I had in my savings to invest in my new business. Two weeks later Florida was put on quarantine. Being under strict quarantine because I suffer from severe asthma and being without work and no way to pay my bills put me under a lot of stress. As of last week I have not yet been approved for unemployment due to a statewide system issue, and I am literally down to nothing. I had to give up my salon studio because with the lift of the quarantine coming up next week I will not be able to keep up with the weekly payments on top of being paranoid about contracting Covid-19 from any clients because of my pre-existing condition.
Winning this grant is a huge blessing and relief. Even though it will not pay off all of my bills it will pay off enough, which will give me enough time to come up with a game plan to pay off the rest. I am so grateful for this blessing. I truly feel appreciated that through everything thing going on you all decided to give back to those of us that need it the most. You are pure angels, and I will always remember the help that I received during one of the hardest times of my life. Thank you again for being my ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.
Sincerely,
Amber E. Johnson
Dear Horst Rechelbacher Foundation,
I want to thank the Horst Rechelbacher Foundation and the entire Beauty Changes Lives team for this amazing opportunity! Because of donors like you I am able to continue my beauty education and follow my dream of becoming a successful Los Angeles hair stylist and well rounded cosmetologist. This scholarship has not only provided me, but many other aspiring cosmetologists financial relief and I want to thank you again for creating this opportunity.
Horst Rechelbacher has inspired me to embrace my sustainable ideals and values and encourage others to do the same. Someday I aspire to start my own sustainability-based company whether it’s beauty related or not and maybe even create my own non-profit organization.
I want to thank the Horst Rechelbacher foundation again and everyone who made this scholarship available. I hope to work with the foundation again in the future.
Sincerely,
Kaila Maxwell
Dear Horst Rechelbacher Foundation,
I want to share my immense gratitude for your substantial gifts towards the “Beauty Changes Lives Administration”. I am obliged to be a selected recipient and very excited to have gain your support in attaining my future goal and dream of becoming a license cosmetologist, with your generous gift I am one step closer. Your donation will truly make a positive impact forme and I am extremely grateful! Upon receival of your donation, it will be going towards my school fee, back to school expense and catching up with pending bills due to the Covid19 lockdown and not being able to work. Your support is invaluable, Thank you Again! With deepest gratitude, and warmest wishes,
Kimbaliece Richards,
Student Aveda Institute Orlando
Dear beauty changes lives,
thank you so much for this thousand dollar Grant. Without you I do not know what I was going to do during this time of covid-19. Bills are piling up and they forced us out of this money is going to go towards my bills to help me survive. The fact that you guys are helping beauticians and barbers out is amazing, I hope other companies adopt your business model. I didn’t even think that I would get this I’m so overwhelmed. I wish your company nothing but the best again thank you so much
Sincerely,
Lionnell Pittman
Dear donor,
I am so honored to be the recipient of the CND Relief Grant offered through Beauty Changes Lives! Thank you for your generous donation in these strange and difficult times. This grant will greatly help me survive through this pandemic. Your commitment to helping those struggling in our beauty community is greatly appreciated. I can’t thank you enough for your generosity!
Sincerely,
Thao Trinh
Hello my name is Alyssa Arce, and I am one of the master students at Aveda Institute Orlando! I want to say thank you for your generosity and for taking your time and your effort into helping students like myself. I honestly did not think I would be chosen I hoped and prayed I would be though. This grant means so much to me I can not express how grateful and truly appreciative for this! This grant will not only help with financial assistance but help me with my medications that I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. I don’t not have an immune system and I receive shots and take pills for my immune system and I am now able to afford those pills and shots again because of YOU! This means the world to me ❤ I can not wait to be able to get my hands in hair again and to do what I LOVE.
Thank you so so so so so so so much!
I wanted to write a personal thank you letter to the BCL Organization and Donors for this generous grant. I am absolutely grateful that I was chosen as a recipient, as this grant will be helping me out tremendously. I, as well as many other stylists in the industry have been struggling financially due to this current pandemic; during this tough time, it is important that we as a beauty community come together to support each other. I cannot express enough how grateful I am. This organization is stepping up and doing something for the stylists that no one else will do for us. Your support is beyond appreciated. This grant is allowing me to keep a roof over my head, and a place where I can continue to work with my clients, build lasting relationships, and make my guests feel beautiful from day to day. Again, thank you for this amazing opportunity.
Signed,
Patrick Gould
Beauty Changes Lives in conjunction with The Horst Rechelbacher relief Grant,
Thank you for selecting me GiA Watson as a winning recipient offered through “The Beauty Changes Lives”. During these dismal times for hairstylist in our industry across the globe, it is with great pride I share my story of experience, strength and hope with my salon family near and far. I serve my profession with love everyday being grateful for the opportunity to help others feel beautiful on the inside and out. I pride myself in having a safe space in which my clients can have total anonymity, to express the “ebb and flow” of life. I do more than just hair, I change lives.
XoXo~GiA Watson
My name is Priscilla, I am a licensed hairstylist in San Diego. On March 18th, I left work not knowing if the salon I work at would be open on Saturday which was my next scheduled shift. We had very few clients that day as well as the previous days. Many clients were too scared to come in, and the brave few that did come in showed a lot of concern over the news about Covid-19. Our hours got cut every day that week, each day would change because of the huge loss of business we were seeing day to day. It was almost like a ghost town. The usual smiling faces of clients were gone and the grocery store next door to the salon was busy with people buying out the water and other supplies. Feardid start to kick in that last day I left work and I had no idea what was coming…Our salon ended up closing on the 20th of March. The financial loss has been very difficult, it has indeed hit our community quite strongly. Many of us rely heavily on our tips and without clients, we have no tips, we don’t even have our hourly pay. Personally, this has hit me incredibly hard. From not knowing when I would be able to resume work to having a personal emergency happen and not being prepared for it financially has been like a tornado for me. I really had to start counting every penny. These are things that I would have been able to deal with normally had we not been in this pandemic that we find ourselves in now. Togo from having a paycheck to not having one has been very scary, I speak for everyone when I say this not just the beauty community. You become very uncertain about things… We’reuncertain about groceries, or when we’ll return to work or even how long this is goingto go on for. The one thing I do remain certain about though, is that our community is standing together andhelping one another.Throughout this situation, I did find a lot of support within the beauty community. Many peoplein our community have beenposting resources, grants and other valuable informationon their Instagram pages and Facebook timelines. My coworkers have a group chat that we’ve been using to stay in touch with. Throughout the day, we’ll send something funny, or uplifting or share resources with each other. When I received an email about this particular grant, I made sure to share it with my coworkers and other friends in our community.I want to thank everyone who made this relief grant possible. Please know that each of us who have been given this grant are immensely grateful. We are standingby eachother’s sides in this very moment, not 6 feet away but side by side in our hearts. Together, we can all make a difference…whetherthat difference is a grant, a simple post about resourcesor even a haircut once normal routines resume, beauty truly does change lives. Priscilla Lopez
Dear Beauty Changes Lives
Thank you so much beauty changes lives for your generous donation. This donation will help me in so many ways; food, clothing for my son and I. Thanks to you, we can get by this hard time for a couple more weeks. Thank you again, we truly appreciate your help.
Sincerely,
Tiffany from Dazzling.
To whom it may concern:
I am greatly appreciated for the donation given to me. This money will come in handy at no other perfect time. Being out of work is so stressful. I also wonder when business will be back to normal when this is all over and will clientele be the same. I just hope we can get back to work soon and be able to do so safely. I pray for the world and hope God rids us of this sickness. I hope one day maybe I will be in a position to help someone else as I have been helped. I hope you are truly blessed for helping me. Thanks to my donor, and the beauty changes lives organization. Stay safe!
Sincerely,
Ryan Otten
Dear donor,
There is not enough ways to describe what winning this grant means. Due to the covid -19 pandemic I lost my job and as you know schools were shut down. I ended up being behind on bills and rent and helping my family provide food. My mother doesn’t work due to a medical condition she was born with. I also have a autistic little brother who I help support. It means the world to me winning this grant knowing ill be able to get us caught up and help provide for my family.
With great respect,
Shania M. Gunter
When I found out I got selected I cried. Dropped to my knees and gave praise to the man above. All i can say is thank you this paid a month of rent so me and my kids wouldn’t be homeless again! God bless you and everyone around you
Dear Beauty Changes Lives,
I am extremely grateful to be selected as a recipient of the Horst Rechelbacher Relief Grant. A
little bit about myself: I am a licensed barber who has worked in the Mission District of San
Francisco for the past 25 years. With the mandated closure of hair salons and barbershops, it’s
been difficult for barbers like myself to make ends meet during the pandemic of COVID-19. As
a single mother of two kids, I have felt the pressure and the economic hardships that the
pandemic has caused, but this grant will fortunately help me towards paying off expenses like
food and rent. Thank you so much for your support!
My sincerest gratitude,
Delfina Zavaleta
Dear donor,
In these uncertain times, it truly is a blessing to have the support of those who dedicate themselves to the beauty industry, such as the generous donors of The Horst Rechelbacher Relief Grant offered through the Beauty Changes Lives Foundation. I personally cannot begin to describe how grateful and relieved I am to be awarded this grant. I have found that happiness is easily achieved through the service to others. I am so proud to be a licensed massage therapist who lives to help people to heal and feel beautiful inside and out. We humans are all affected by this crisis. this grant will give me financial leg up and aid me through these next few months. I will make sure to pay it forward in any way that I can to those who are also in need and continue to make people feel better about themselves. This award gives me hope that, as a community, we can all band together and lift each other up through the hardest of times. Thank you so much for your generosity and for helping me to survive.
Warmest regards,
Cassie E. Guido
Dear The Horst Rechelbacher Foundation:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your generosity in funding the $1000 Horst Rechelbacher Relief Grant offered through Beauty Changes Lives Scholarship for. I am very honored to be the recipient of this award.
I am currently a Class A Barber located in Dallas, Texas who was affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic. During this Pandemic my barber shop, Houston’s Finest, was also broken into and a lot of my tools was stolen. I have been cutting hair for over 20 years and receiving this scholarship will go along way with replacing my tools, paying my rent and utilities. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and generosity.
You have opened your heart to deserving people that are experiencing financial hardships and I want to thank you once again for your confidence and willingness to help me get through this Pandemic and come out stronger than ever before.
Kind regards,
James Allen
Thank you so much for selecting me as a recipient for the Horst Rechelbacher Relief Grant! I am at a loss of words right now and realizing that the skills and talent that I have learned from my previous endeavor has definitely made me proud for what my craft was intended for. This will really help me out in the future in making decisions for my needs and also what will be in store for me in the future.
Narisara Passa
Dear donor,
Thank so much for your generous donation for the hairstylists financially struggling due to the pandemic, because of your nice gesture a lot of families in need will be able to sustain. I am filled with immense gratitude for good hearted people like you and how great it feels to know that kind people like you are willing to help those in need during hard times, the money I have received will be put to extremely good use, I can’t thank you enough.
Karen Lazo
Dear: Beauty Changes Lives Organization
Thank you so much for helping me during this hard time. This grant will help me succeed and it means a lot that you are not only providing an excellent education but understanding what I and others are going through during this Pandemic. COVID-19 left me wondering if I was going to be able to afford my education and graduate. Thankfully, I received the email about the $1,000 Horst Rechelbacher Relief Grant offered through Beauty Changes Lives. After being notified to receive the grant I was shocked and joyous because I knew I could make it through this hardship and graduate with a career that will allow me to better my life as well as others. So, from my family to all of you THANK YOU!
Sincerely,
Stephanie Matthews
Dear Donor,
Thank you so much for your generous donation. I appreciate your commitment to be a helping hand during this global pandemic.With your help, I am able to continue to pay for my education at Esthetics school, as well as provide food for me and my family. Words cannot express my appreciation for you and your act of kindness. Thank you for sowing into me and my purpose. Your generosity is admirable, I am so thankful for your contribution. The world needs more kind people like you!
Best Wishes,
Khailah Rawlins
Dear Donors,
I am honored and blessed to be one of the recipients of the Horst M. Rechelbacher scholarship. Being a hairdresser has been a wonderful, life changing goal of mine. And your support means I can be a better me so I can pass on my joy to my clients.
-Adam Courts
Dear Beauty Changes Lives,
My name is Nhi Lu and I am one of the recipients to receive the Horst Rechelbacher Relief Grant. I would first like to say thank you so much for offering a great opportunity to help those that are struggling during this time. Thanks to your generosity of Beauty Changes Lives, I am able to continue pursuing my passion in skincare. If you had asked me how I was doing last month, I would’ve cried. I felt like everything I was trying to do, kept breaking apart. Here’s a breakdown of everything that has happened in the last 2 years. I was a University student who didn’t know what to major in, debts kept piling on top of one another – and then I found my passion for skincare. During the school period, my father passed away on New Year’s Eve 2018 from a car accident. The memory of the lady telling me the news over the phone is something I will never forget in my entire life, and is something that still haunts me till this day. During that time, school was like this light to my darkness. There were a couple of times I was caught off guard in class, but my teacher lured me back into lecture by teasing me. There were moments where I was amazed by the things she was doing, and of course, it took my mind off my deceased father. I became thrilled to learn more about facial massages, treatments, and the skincare tools we used. Every time I had a client, I would forget about the dreadful news, and become more concerned about caring for my client’s needs. I was always so happy to see the results over time. Fast forwarding, I got my license and landed my first esthetician job at Rubs Massage Studio. The environment and employees are amazing (even my own manager). I have been loving every second I got to work there and eventually, became depressed that they had to close down due to the pandemic. During this time, I’ve been educating myself on some new massage techniques,product ingredients, how to use different skin care lines by going on webinars, and practicing facials at home. During this pandemic, I’ve struggled a lot financially, physically, and mentally. Receiving this grant has motivated me to take microneedling class that I have always wanted to after this pandemic is over, and pay off some of my debts. I will continue to further educate myself in this industry and create a financial plan that will help get me out of debt. I look forward to being able to give back to this community once I become successful in my career. I thank you for your confidence and willingness to help me achieve my goals.
Sincerely,
Nhi Lu
Thank you so much for the grant, it truly has changed my life. I am no longer stressed and find myself extremely grateful for this opportunity. I can’t even put into words how much this truly has helped me and how grateful I truly am. The beauty industry continues to change my life every day. I am so blessed to have met the people I met both in chair and as beauticians. Thank you to the companies who have given back to their industry. It definitely doesn’t go unnoticed by the generosity and love I feel from these companies and salon owners as a hairdresser. Again, thank you so much for this.
Sincerely,
Bradie Trippi
Dear CND,
First and foremost, I would like to Thank you for your generous donation especially right now with this COVID-19 and us not being able to work, this helps me out a lot right now!
For me being a single mother of two children was a little nerve-racking when they told me that we couldn’t go to work. Especially being self-employed; doing nails is what I love and this is how I provide for my family. I started to get nervous although I had saved a little of money but after being almost two months I started to run out. This virus has taught me a lot about life sometimes we don’t think about…be more prepared financially!! I can’t wait to go back to work and I’m sure I speak for almost everyone is the beauty industry.
My little family will appreciate your generous donation and I thank you again.
- I love your CND products and I use them all the time on my clients all the time, thank you for making such a great product to provide healthy nails. 😘
Love,
Llaquelin Castro
Dear Mr. / Ms
I would like to thank you for your outstanding contribution. Your sacrifice has been an amazing servitude in this current crisis. I am speechless and humbled creative work that went into this grant project,the entire movement is completely out of the box.Your dedication to work is resulting in an increased hope for all who were impacted by this quarantine. This letter is just a token of appreciation and small way of saying thank you so much. You have been a source of inspiration throughout my career and I would like to return the favor to someone else who may be in need in the future. May God bless you beyond what you may ever come to comprehend.
Thanking you,
Mr. Willy Francois
Thank you very much to CND + BCL Relief Grant Program. I haven’t been working for almost 2 months and had suffered a great loss of income due to Coronavirus Pandemic.
I’ve been in my nail career for over 10 years using many different products in the Nail Industry. In my experience, I love to use CND products on my customers the most. CND is one of the best and most reliable products I have ever used in my career. In my opinion, I want to introduce CND products to everyone who haven’t used them before.
Sincerely,
Kevin Phan
To The Kind Hearted Donor, CND:
Hi, Im Betsabe C Mayorga it’s been around 4 weeks since we were attacked by COVID-19 and I was furlough from my job like a ton of people out there were. I was the head of the household and wasn’t able to help out after this tragedy and living off my older brother’s minimum wage job; which is not even close to cover half the bills. Thankfully I was blessed with this grant and I know this will help me and my family a whole lot.
People sometimes think sponsoring someone or donating money isn’t a big deal, but actually it is; for families like mine that have been affected and with younger brothers and sisters and my mom who is a single mother whose jobless, its hard to keep going at it. A small amount goes a long way and I believe that everyone who is helping people who really need it will be blessed because what you give always comes back and with extra blessings.
Thanks again for blessing my family,
Betsabe C Mayorga
Dear Donor,
Im writing to thank you for your donation. Your act of kindness will help support my family through this
terrible time. Due to COVID-19 our salon had to close. No one was ready for this pandemic and I surely wasn’t ready
to be absent from my clients or my station for so long. Thank you again for your thought and generosity and helping
my family through this, for leaving us with hope for our future and to be able to have a safe re-opening with the PPE
needed to keep everyone as safe as possible. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you and I hope and pray that humanity
will never have to witness such a nightmare, ever again!
Yours Truly,
Nicholas
Dear Horst Rechelbacher Foundation:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your benevolence in funding the $1000 Beauty Changes Lives Covid-19 Relief Grant. It made my day when I opened the email notifying me that I was a recipient of this award. I feel honored, grateful, and blessed.
I am currently an esthetician at St. Michel Day Spa in Louisiana. I have been working here for seven years, five as an esthetician. I love working with people and helping them to improve their skin and their confidence.
Receiving this grant has lightened my financial burden. It will nourish my body by putting food on my table. Thanks to your generous support I will be able to make payments on a loan and pay bills that would otherwise have gone into default and ruined my credit. You have made a huge difference in my life during this challenging situation. I personally extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to you for helping me survive during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
Sincerely,
Krystle Gautreau
