Great Clips accepts the Lucky 7 Challenge and gives a family MoreMinutes

Connecticut resident Todd Crawford said it’s been a very tough time for him and boys since his wife Lisa Colagrossi died in March from a brain aneurism, but they had an especially hard start to the school year as it was their first back-to-school time since her passing. Lisa was a reporter for ABC7 in Manhattan. When we heard about their story, Great Clips and our PR agency 919 Marketing reached out to Todd and his boys, Davis and Evan, to see if we could help with a small act of kindness through the #MoreMinutes program, which asked people what they would do with more free time during the busy back-to-school rush.

Unknown to Lisa or her family, she had a brain aneurysm and it ruptured. If the family had recognized the symptoms leading up to that tragic day, they may have been able to prevent her death. Since that time, Todd has been advocating for better research and education about this disease which he says about 1 in 50 people have and don’t even know it. Not all will experience a rupture, but there is little known about the signs and risk factors. September is National Brain Aneurysm Awareness month, and Todd is kicking off a campaign to raise awareness and funding for this silent killer. All while keeping his boys as his number one priority.

Great Clips wanted to help the family by giving them #MoreMinutes to enjoy together while the busy school year kicked off. When asked what we could do to help, Todd said, “Other than having their mom back, the boys dream wish would be to meet Mike & Mike at ESPN.”

So Great Clips made it happen! Great Clips President Steve Hockett and Director of Communications Tammy Nienaber took the boys and their dad in a limousine to ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut, to tour the ESPN studios and meet Mike & Mike, the popular sports talk show hosts. Great Clips also treated the boys to some new back-to-school clothes so their dad wouldn’t have to stress about shopping.

Great Clips also took the “Lucky 7” Challenge and donated $17,777 to the Lisa Colagrossi Foundation, established in Lisa’s memory to fund brain aneurism programs that support patients, survivors, and their families. The “Lucky 7” Challenge runs through March 19, 2016.