Omar Saleh was up to his usual business last Friday. The 22-year-old barber and owner of Omar’ s Barber Shop in Lac La Biche held one of his monthly fundraisers.
Omar Saleh was up to his usual business last Friday.
The 22-year-old barber and owner of Omar’ s Barber Shop in Lac La Biche held one of his monthly fundraisers. Since 2015, he has had one day per month at his barbershop where all of the proceeds go to a charitable cause.
This time, the funds went to buying a portable heart monitor for Brooklyn Cardinal, a six-year-old Vera M. Welsh Elementary School student who has a heart condition that has led to her having three surgeries. Omar hopes that the effort can also help support another heart surgery that she has upcoming.
Saleh knew about the girl through cutting the hair of Cardinal’ s brother as well as her father Craig.
The barber hopes a monitor would give her the ability to notice when her heart was having trouble and to be able to deal with it in advance.
Saleh credits this campaign -- and all the others -- to the generosity of people in the community.
“My fundraisers are all about helping the kids, as they are the future of this county.”
At last Friday’ s fundraiser, Saleh also enlisted the help of the Lac La Biche Kinsmen Club, who were barbequing and selling hamburgers. He also had the help of Dixie’ s Photography. The company’ s founder Dalyla Abougouche was handling the money, the condiments and the napkins.
“I’ ve usually done fundraisers by myself, like with the Make-A-Wish foundation,” she said. “Omar came and asked if I wanted to help. I don’ t think anyone can say no. [Brooklyn] is so young. If there’ s a small way we can help, we will.”
Lorin Tkachuk, who was there on behalf of the Kinsmen Club, said there was a reason the club came back again and again and again to Omar’ s fundraisers.
“It’ s nice to see a young business owner giving money back to the community,” he said. “And he’ s not just doing it once in a while, he’ s consistently giving back.”
Saleh’ s previous initiatives have included KidSport, the Lac La Biche Clippers as well as other children with serious health issues. His efforts have been well received in the community.
“There’ s always good feedback. They’ re telling me to keep going and they’ re very supportive,” said Saleh. “We need to take care of each other.”
Saleh was looking to raise $1,200 for the cost of the monitor today. He raised $1,610.
