LAKEVIEW — Francine Soto really, really wanted the pink hair.
During a makeover session with her mother at BLOWN by Bocaj, 3353 N. Clark St., the Special Olympics athlete was thrilled when owner Jacob Leatherman offered to add a bright pink hair extension to her new 'do.
When Leatherman was finished, he suggested playfully that she have her boyfriend take her out for dinner. Or perhaps, he said with a smile toward Soto's mother, it should be a girls' night on the town.
He offered Soto a peek in the mirror, and she smiled, her eyes crinkling, and clapped her hands in quick staccato.
The makeovers for athletes with Special Olympics Chicago are part of Leatherman's BLOWN Back program. BLOWN, which opened in May near Roscoe and Clark, will donate $7.50 from every $50 blow-out and deep conditioning treatment package to charities, with Special Olympics Chicago kicking off the program in July.
Customers can also sponsor makeovers for athletes and a parent or coach on Fridays in July as part of Chicago's month long celebration of Special Olympics.
"I've always wanted to start a nonprofit, so I decided when I opened, that I would start right away doing some sort of giving back. I think it's just nice to be able to give these athletes something they may not typically get and to share it with someone that's important to them," Leatherman said.
Soto, 22, trains for softball, basketball and floor hockey at Kosciuszko Park, 2732 N. Avers Ave., a Logan Square park that is one of 20 Chicago parks that participate in Special Olympics.
"I got my hair done, my makeup on. I feel great. Boo-ya!" Soto said following her makeover.
The salon provided some much-needed bonding time for Soto and her mother, Maria Mattei, who live in Belmont Cragin.
"It's some great mother-and-daughter time, which we never have. I actually love the idea of what [Leatherman] is doing. I'm speechless right now," Mattei said.
Her daughter got involved with Special Olympics seven years ago and has learned karate and how to swim. She's won gold and silver medals and trophies, and "it keeps her very busy and very active all the time," Mattei said.
The first Special Olympics games took place at Soldier Field on July 20, 1968, with 1,000 athletes. The event has expanded worldwide to include four million athletes, and Chicago celebrates the program's origins during July with events and activities.
"The people at the park are wonderful people. There are a lot of activities and funds out there for adults with Down Syndrome that people don't know about, too," Mattei said.
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