Smith: Santa Rosa stylist helping homeless with free meals, holiday hair cuts

FOR THANKSGIVING, hair stylist Danika O’Leary and some friends will be grooming, feeding and outfitting homeless and struggling people at central Santa Rosa’s Juilliard Park. They welcome a hand.

There on the park lawn from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, Danika and a hearty crew will serve a meal, cut hair and hand out whatever new and gently used cold-weather clothes, gloves, shoes, travel-size toiletries, books and art supplies they can gather between now and then.

To volunteer to help on Nov. 22, email stephfuentes78@gmail.com.

Donations of clothing and other items can be dropped off at the Advanced Tech Collision shops on Piner Road and Todd Road, or at the Diamonds & Curls Salon on Fourth Street.

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Virginia Novelli had to tell somebody about the real-estate agent she and her husband, Timothy, chose to list the Santa Rosa mobile home they decided they could no longer afford to live in.

The Novellis were shocked when Brian Connolly of Century 21 offered to take away and store, at no cost to them, some of their furnishings so the place would show better.

Then he photographed the residence, again for free, for the Multiple Listing Service.

The kicker, said Virginia, who struggles with health issues at 76, was when Connolly sat down with her and Timothy, explored their financial situation and urged that they not sell their home but cut their monthly cost by refinancing.

“I really believe that was the answer we needed,” Virginia said. She was grateful and amazed as Connolly bid them well and left without having earned even a dime.

“I’m still blown away,” Virginia said.

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ELEVEN YEARS to the day after a roadside bomb in Iraq abruptly ended the life of Michael Ottolini of Sebastopol, a grandchild was born to the California National Guard sergeant’s family.

Ottolini’s daughter, Stephanie, and her partner, Jeff Okrepkie, on Tuesday welcomed into the world Tillman Bruce Okrepkie. The child’s maternal grandfather was 45 when he died Nov. 10, 2004, while on patrol north of Baghdad.

The birth at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Rosa is a gift also to the little one’s paternal grandfather, Bruce Okrepkie, the mayor of Windsor.

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HEARD OF ARTFLIP? Folks at the Salvation Army substance-abuse recovery complex at Lytton Springs invited 35 local artists to come into the thrift stores and pick out $50 worth of kitchen utensils, jewelry or bric-a-brac to transform into art.

On Saturday at the Salvation Army center near Healdsburg, the creations will be sold by silent auction at a catered luncheon. Admission is $25. To reserve a seat, email Lytton.arc@usw.salvationarmy.org.

ARTFlip proceeds will go to transforming discarded lives.

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SAFARI WEST planned on Sunday to treat firefighters to a visit to the wildlife preserve, but the date didn’t work out.

So Safari West will instead hold an Open House Block Party. It’s cutting the price of the Nairobi Bus tour and admitting adult-accompanied kids 12 and younger for free.

You can reserve seats on the bus by contacting reservations@safariwest.com.

Chris Smith is at 521-5211 and chris.smith@pressdemocrat.com.