Girl Scout brings back salon at Glendale senior-care facility

When Glendale senior-care facility Twelve Oaks Lodge reopened last year after a prolonged dispute with former management, members of the Twelve Oaks Foundation were tasked with renovating the site.

With help from Northstar Senior Living, the facility’s pavilion, which serves as a dining area, was refurbished, and the clubhouse was renovated as well as the Oaks building, the primary living site for about 34 future residents, was finished.

Julia Powers, a La Cañada Flintridge resident and junior at Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, was entering her fifth year as a National Charity League, Glendale chapter member — the daughters are referred to as “Ticktockers” — and working toward her Girl Scout Gold Award when she had the idea to renovate the salon as a project.

She originally planned to create an arts and crafts room for the senior residents and discovered the neglected hair salon while searching for an open space.

“It was kind of dirty, the chair needed refurbishing, there were huge cracks in the walls with a huge grungy cabinet,” Powers said. “It felt like a really tight space with a huge slit in the floors — it wasn’t getting used.”

That’s when the idea started rolling, Powers said, to bring the salon back to life.

“I had to do a lot of research of what goes into a salon and find the right paint and furniture, with a focus on refurbishing the room and cleaning it,” she said.

National Charity League members helped to fix the floor, and the Twelve Oaks management board decided to step in and take over appointments at the salon, Powers said.

Salon Twelve, as it’s known, opened last month with the services of stylist Tina Tooley, who comes in once every two weeks.

“She’s really popular, and the residents love it,” Powers said.

Karen Gee-McAuley, a Twelve Oaks Foundation board member, said Powers’ efforts helped strengthen the bond between the league and Twelve Oaks.

“Powers’ hard work and dedication to renovate our hair salon as her Girl Scout Gold Award project is so appreciated,” Gee-McAuley said. “The residents love the new Salon Twelve, where they not only get salon services, but their spirits are lifted by the light-filled room and decor.”

According to Powers, the National Charity League wants to have its volunteer Ticktockers be as active as they were before the shutdown, starting with an ice cream social, and perhaps use the salon as a meeting place for residents.

jeff.landa@latimes.com

Twitter: @JeffLanda