|
           
|
|
|
Articles in the News: |
|
by Coty
Dolores Miranda - Sept. 12, 2008 07:39
AM
Special for The Republic
The merchants of Mountainside Plaza, better
known locally as the Trader Joe's/Safeway
Shopping Center on Chandler Boulevard and
40th Street, recently hosted their first
community fundraiser, "Donations for the
Troops," benefiting the Arizona National
Guard's 996 Area Support Medical Company.
The National Guard medics and medical
personnel have been deployed in Iraq since
January providing medical support.
For several Mountainside Plaza business
owners, the fundraiser was close to their
hearts as they honored servicemen and women
in their own families.
Michelle Lutes, wife of the 996's
commanding officer, Jayson Lutes, and
chairwoman of the Family Readiness Group,
said she was touched by the outpouring of
food, games, phone cards and sundries
donated.
"It's very heartwarming that members of
the community who don't even know these
soldiers came to donate. It gave me goose
bumps," said Lutes, the mother of three
children ages 7 and younger. "The families
and soldiers really appreciate the giving
spirit of the community remembering those
who are serving."
Lutes and other spouses in the Family
Readiness Group attended the fundraiser,
meeting those who brought donations.
"It was really a lot of fun, sitting and
chatting with people who came. Most of them
had some kind of connection - either they
had someone in the military or knew someone
serving," Lutes said. "I met one family new
to the National Guard who will join the unit
after finishing school in San Antonio."
The Family Readiness Group members are
now packaging the items to ship to Iraq.
Most will be sent via U.S. Postal Service
making use of the flat-rate boxes, a cost
born by the group.
Business owners in the plaza, led by
Prickly Pair Home Decor & Gifts owner
Rosanne Youngblood, opted to begin a year of
monthly community outreach with the
Donations for the Troops.
For Youngblood, the memory of the Sept.
11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the
Pentagon and the subsequent deployment of
troops are as close as her husband James,
who came out of retirement to join the
Army's Criminal Investigation Division
providing protection to Donald Rumsfeld,
then secretary of defense, throughout that
following year.
"The bottom line is our troops are still
over there and they need our help. Just
because it's not the issue of the day or the
beginning of the war doesn't mean they don't
need supplies," Youngblood said.
Dawna Gascoigne, branch manager of
AmTrust Bank in the plaza, said she was
thrilled to be a part of Donations for the
Troops.
"When my son Thomas joined the Marines, I
learned how important it is when people
contribute," she said. "Those little
packages they get they really need, but it
also serves as a little pick-me-up."
Gee Wigz owner Terri Angichiodo and her
daughter, Stephanie, said the collection for
the troops was poignant as Stephanie's
boyfriend and fellow Mountain Pointe High
School 2008 graduate Ben Hall recently
completed Marine boot camp in San Diego.
"My dad and mom were in World War II, my
uncle was in Korea, my brother served in
Vietnam and my nephew is now in the Air
Force," Terri Angichiodo said. "I may not
like the war but I'll support the troops to
the end."
http://www.azcentral.com/community/ahwatukee/articles/2008/09/12/20080912ar-troopdonations0913.html
Back to top
Sisters
The Arizona Republic
August 17,
2007
A support group dedicated to
African-American women with cancer will hold its first
meeting Saturday.
The group, Sisters' Talk, will meet from
noon to 2 p.m. at Word of Abundant Life Christian Center,
6849 W. Indian School Road.
Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon will speak at
12:45, and state Rep. Steve Gallardo of District 13 will
also attend.
Two businesswomen organized the group
after meeting women with cancer through their shops and
deciding that their needs went beyond getting a wig or
undergarments.
Terri Angichiodo, owner of Gee Wigz, and
Nickie Miller, owner of Fittings by Nickie, started meeting
with cancer survivors informally in a south Phoenix
restaurant and decided a lot of good could be done if they
organized a group.
"There was cancer in south Phoenix, and
while some women had means, others had no insurance or
doctors," Angichiodo said.
They said they aren't aware of another
African-American cancer group. Angichiodo added that women
of other races may attend, too.
Information: Angichiodo at (480) 759-9433
or Nickie Miller at (623) 937-4627.
http://www.philgordon.org/inthenews/view_article.cfm?ID=214
Back to top |
|
Wigs give cancer
patients dignity
Coty Dolores Miranda Special
for the Republic
Special for the Republic
Oct. 26, 2006 12:00 AM
Any passerby who
might glance casually into the Gee Wigz shop in
the shopping plaza southeast of 40th Street and
Chandler Blvd. wouldn't begin to glimpse the
healing that goes on beyond the store's
entrance.
But it happens every day.
There is more to the store than the multicolored
flowing tresses and trendy short, spiked wigs in
the window.
Owner Terri Angichiodo says when she
opened the shop at 4025 E. Chandler Blvd. in July 2001 that
it was "all about fashion." But to her surprise, the fun of
fashion was soon augmented by need.
Gee Wigz has gained a Valley-wide reputation as a specialty
center serving cancer patients.
Throughout October, the shop is collecting old and unused
wigs that it will deliver to Chandler Regional Hospital for
its "Look Good, Feel Good" program.
Angichiodo says the impetus for change in the shop's
direction began when the first woman stood outside the Gee
Wigz door for 10 minutes before crossing the threshold. This
was the first cancer survivor Angichiodo fitted for a "hair
prosthesis," or wig. She was the first of hundreds of cancer
survivors and chemotherapy patients to receive from
Angichiodo a hug, a smile and reasons to laugh again.
"I didn't see the need out there when I opened this store,
but then I started seeing more and more people come in with
cancer," she said. "Walking in that door is admitting you're
losing your hair and you're sick. It's often the hardest
thing they've ever done."
Ahwatukee resident Sheryl Vendl is a new client of Gee Wigz.
After successful cancer surgery, Vendl is undergoing
chemotherapy. To the casual eye, her shoulder-length auburn
wig appears to be her own hair.
"Terri's amazing. I didn't ever want to come here, but she
made it fun," Vendl said. "She helps you find the right
styles and you just feel more like your regular self."
Information at www.geewigz.com or (480) 759-9433.
Back to top
|
Back to top
|
|
2006
Sonoran
Living Image ~ geeWigz
Running late and
no time to style your hair? These are some of the amazing
new wigs available at geeWigz, (480) 759-9433.
|
Name: |
geeWigz |
|
Description: |
Running
late and no time to style your hair? These are some
of the amazing new wigs available at geeWigz, (480)
759-9433. |
Back to top |
|
Extend yourself
|
Courtesy of Hair U Wear
Straight and wavy clip-in synthetic extensions $82
for each set of 10 at Gee Wigz. |
Diana Jung
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 30, 2005 12:00 AM
Hollywood is obsessed with them, models have to
have them and there's even talk of a potential
shortage. What are they? Hair extensions.
Going to a professional salon to get extensions
bonded can be pricey, but you can achieve the
look affordably and temporarily with clip-on
extensions from Put On Pieces by Hair U Wear.
The simple attachable extensions are made from
kanekalon vibralite, a soft, synthetic fiber.
Use the extensions to match your hair color or
mix it up for a highlighted effect.
The set, available in straight or wavy, comes
with 10 extension pieces in a variety of widths
in 20 shades. It's $82 at Gee Wigz, 4025
E. Chandler Blvd., Suite 5, Phoenix.
Back to top |
|
Shop for cancer survivors has
prosthetics, wigs
Store has prosthetics,
wigs, clothing
Joelle
Babula
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 9, 2004 12:00 AM
A
Glendale woman has teamed with a Phoenix resident to
offer cancer patients special clothing, cosmetics,
wigs and prosthetics.
All these items are available at a one-stop cancer
shop.
Nickie Miller of Glendale and Phoenix's Terri
Angichiodo are helping cancer patients to better
deal with harsh radiation and chemotherapy
treatments as well as the aftermath of battling the
disease.
"We're a
full-service cancer survivor shop," said Angichiodo,
owner of Gee Wigz, 4025 E. Chandler Blvd, Phoenix.
"We not only offer wigs and other products, but we
are a resource for cancer survivors and can refer
them to people who can help with things such as
depression or fatigue."
Angichiodo specializes in fitting her clients with
the perfect wig while Miller is trained to fit women
with prosthetic breasts, special bras and devices
that help control swelling. The pair also sell
special garments that help increase circulation in
the limbs for men and women.
"I sell hundreds of different kinds of wigs,"
Angichiodo said. "I also sell turbans and hair magic
for those who don't want to wear a wig."
Hair magic is a hairpiece, such as a ponytail or
bangs, which attach to a cap, hat or turban. The
piece gives the wearer the illusion of hair without
actually having to don a wig.
Miller, a breast cancer survivor herself, started
her company, Fittings by Nickie, after she had a
difficult time finding the bras and prosthetics she
needed. She has now teamed her business with Gee
Wigz to offer all cancer patients a full-service
shop.
"My job is to fit a woman with a prosthetic breast
so that she looks natural and nobody can tell,"
Miller said. "When a woman tries on her clothes and
looks in the mirror and says, 'Oh, my God, I'm
normal,' then I know I've done my job."
Miller also will travel to a woman's home to do the
fittings.
"Some are not feeling well after surgery and are
uncomfortable going out in public, so I take the
bras and breast forms with me, and we fit her in her
own home."
Breast cancer patient Linda Yeager, 49, of Phoenix,
has decided against wearing a wig for now but was
recently sized and fitted for a special bra and
breast prosthesis. Yeager had one of her breasts
surgically removed and is undergoing chemotherapy.
"You would never be able to tell I'm wearing a
prosthesis," Yeager said. "Nickie (Miller) really
measures you and fits you well and makes sure both
sides match. They are light as feathers and nobody
could tell even if they hugged me."
The store is open seven days a week and serves a
variety of male and female cancer patients.
Information: Gee Wigz, (480) 759-9433.
Back to top
|
New 'look' helps
cancer patients regain self-esteem
10/17/2003
By Jennifer Voges
Staff Writer
A woman's hair is
a powerful force.
It gives
confidence, attitude, and it can even flirt.
When cancer
treatments cause a woman to lose her hair, the
transformation can be devastating.
Terri Angichiodo
is helping to give back a little bit of that lost power.
Her shop, Gee
Wigz in Ahwatukee Foothills, is donating 10 wigs to Team
Victory Cancer Survivor Fellowship, as well as 10 percent of
the proceeds from any wig sold from Oct. 19 through Oct. 31
as part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
"I don't sell
wigs, I sell self-esteem," Angichiodo said.
Team Victory
Cancer Survivor Fellowship, which is a support group that
promotes wellness for cancer patients, survivors, and their
supporters, will find people in the Valley who are in need
of the wigs and the donated money, fellowship president
Georgianna Harrison said.
"If you could sum
up Team Victory in one word it would be 'conduit,'" she
said.
The group serves
as a network to help individuals affected by cancer find the
resources and information they need.
Eighty percent of
the customers at Gee Wigz are cancer patients, all the more
reason to donate to Team Victory, said Angichiodo, who lives
in Ahwatukee Foothills.
"Cancer is cancer
and it has nothing to do with age or money or anything," she
said.
Gee Wigz, on the
southeast corner of Chandler Boulevard and 40th Street,
offers a variety of wigs and hairpieces in every color and
style. The average wig costs about $130 and all are made of
synthetic hair.
Angichiodo said
her customers find renewed confidence and feel normal again
with a wig on.
"Feeling better
and looking better aids in healing us," she said.
So do hugs,
Angichiodo said. Another practice at her wig shop is hugs
for everyone.
Although some
discount wigs as for older women only, and obvious
hairpieces, Angichiodo maintains that "Wigs are coming back
in style."
Celebrities are
often seen with beautiful heads of hair, but some aren't
even theirs, the shop owner said. Many famous figures have
been known wear wigs and hairpieces.
Even women with
hair wear wigs.
"It's a
guaranteed good hair day," Angichiodo said.
The wigs in Gee
Wigz have a memory. They always go back to their original
style and form, even after getting wet.
Angichiodo, who
often wears wigs just for the fun of it, wants women to feel
more comfortable about sporting the stylish pieces.
"People need to
accept wigs as if you're putting on a dress or anything
else," she said.
To Angichiodo and
the cancer patients and survivors that will benefit from her
donation, a wig is a new accessory.
"I don't know who
wouldn't wear a wig," she said.
For information
about Gee Wigz, call (480) 759-9433 and for information
about Team Victory Cancer Survivor Fellowship, call (602)
295-9712.
To reach the reporter, call (480) 898-7916 or
e-mail jvoges@aztrib.com.
Back to top |
|
