News

Recycling for a cause

by . .
Thursday Aug 20, 2015

When she was a child growing up in Belarus, Darya Heras, owner of DH Estética at 683 Tremont Street, was given a sort of "scared straight" moment when her neighbor took her to visit the orphanage where she worked. Heras was profoundly moved by both the plight of children with no family and home of their own and by the children's resilient spirit. The memory has stayed with her ever since, and motivated her to create an imaginative fundraiser for The Home for Little Wanderers that benefits both children and the environment. At her own shop and other participating local businesses, Heras is collecting donations of personal electronics that will be sold for parts with all proceeds going to the Brighton-based children's services agency. The donations are tax deductible and can be made at drop-off boxes at South End Eye and New Looks Home Improvement, both at 681 Tremont Street; at New Age Psychic Shop at 678 Tremont Street and at Center Makor, 1845 Commonwealth Ave. in Brighton as well as at DH Estética.

Heras conceived the campaign, which gives residents an opportunity to recycle unwanted cell phones, smart phones, laptops, tablets and chrome books while contributing to The Home, as a community project for her studies at the Landmark Educational Forum. Goodwill Kid'otronics launched in early July, and so far has collected approximately $800 worth of product, as well as an additional gift valued at around $2,000. "I've always been into recycling and eliminating/minimizing waste," she observed via e-mail. Recalling the children at the orphanage who inspired the benefit, Heras wrote, "I was very impressed how kind hearted and sweet those kids were. I always felt kind of guilty that I had much more than others."

Mary Keenan and Michele Zuccala, owners of South End Eye at 681 Tremont Street were very impressed with both the concept and the purpose of Goodwill Kid'otronics when Heras asked them to participate in early July. The South End Eye partners commented on the fundraiser in a telephone interview. "It's really very creative. It's kind of like Toys for Tots without the toys." Keenan and Zuccala were pleased to speak for this article because they want to raise awareness of the fundraising campaign. "I think the more people know, the more they will donate. The only pushback is that carriers like Verizon and AT&T give rebates when you trade in your old phone. We try to mention it as much as we can here in the shop. What we think is great about it is we know where the money is going."

According to Heather MacFarlane, public relations manager for The Home for Little Wanderers, money raised through Goodwill Kid'otronics will be distributed evenly among The Home's programs across Boston and eastern Massachusetts. Meredith Bryan, vice president for development and communications for The Home, said in a written statement, "Whether it's counseling a family in crisis, providing a safe haven for a child in foster care, creating a 'forever family' through adoption or showing a suicidal teen new ways to cope, the goal of The Home's work is always the same: to help the 7,000 children and families we serve each year to thrive and succeed. Thanks to generous donations and third party events like this, our dedicated staff are able to advocate for each and every child by offering youth the things they need most: nurturing, security, respect, self-esteem, and the tools necessary to overcome part trauma and forge meaningful, productive lives."

A registered nurse who came to the US from Belarus in 2005, Heras has experienced a number of exciting, recent life transitions as she changed careers from clinical nursing to esthetics; got married and moved to Waltham; and opened her salon where she offers hair services, makeup, skin rejuvenation treatments and eyelash services as well as on-site beauty and photographic services for weddings. By raising funds for The Home for Little Wanderers, she hopes to help them create a positive foundation for children. "Like I mentioned before, I've always had this bitter feeling of guilt that life is not too fair: some get more than others. So to me the project means giving back to those who happened to be less fortunate. I have pedagogy experience from back home and I truly believe that childhood is extremely, extremely critical and it influences the whole life of an individual afterward."