BY MAE MAÑACAP- JOHNSON

For many spas and business owners, philanthropy is at the core of their brand DNA. Here are a few spas and companies that are making an impact in the communities they serve or on a much global scale— one kindness at a time.

Absolute Spa Group

Social Cause: Autism Awareness and Poverty Nonprofit Organizations: Pacific Autism Family Network and The Empty Stocking Fund Learn More: pacificautismfamily. com and emptystockingfund. org

Which social cause does your spa passionately support? My husband and business partner, Sergio Cocchia, and I founded the Pacific

WENDY LISOGAR-COCCHIA • Chief Executive Officer • Absolute Spa Group • Vancouver, British Columbia Canada

Autism Family Network( PAFN), a charitable organization with a mandate to serve the needs of individuals and families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder( ASD) and related disorders. PAFN is the cornerstone in advancing assessment and treatment techniques for addressing the lifespan needs of individuals with ASD. The PAFN center will open in Richmond, British Columbia, in November 2016 with provincial spokes following in early 2017. To date, we have raised more than US $ 30 million and continue to proudly collaborate with our clients in making a difference.

Which marketing drives have helped encourage guests to take part of your giving back programs? Our guests love to take part in our giving back program by purchasing one of our organic Spa Binge products, as 100 percent of the proceeds are donated to charity. We have created shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and lip balm for our partnership with PAFN. Every holiday season, we also partner with the Vancouver Province’ s The Empty Stocking Fund. Last year, more than 10 spa locations raised US $ 15,000 for The Empty Stocking Fund by donating every dollar

from the sales of our Spa Binge Naturals Luffa Body Scrub.

What were the most challenging parts of putting together your spa’ s giving back initiative? The most challenging part is choosing the charity or charities to support. To ensure we are doing as much as possible, we dedicate a significant amount of time supporting numerous volunteer boards and countless charitable causes. Our spa receives hundreds of requests for charitable donations every year, and we try to give to everyone via various levels of support.

34 PULSE ■ October 2016