Bold Woman of the Month: Haylee Gonzalez

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – June’s Bold Woman of the Month believes in following your dreams and making a difference in the world.

Born and raised in Fort St. John, Haylee Gonzalez has always harboured dreams of being a hairdresser and doing something to help a certain group of women in Mexico.

For almost ten years, Gonzalez and her family have been travelling to Mexico, where she became involved with Mujeres Nuevo Comienzo, a shelter for women and children escaping abuse in Baja California. 

Gonzalez is currently fundraising to construct a salon in Mexico to support the shelter, help women on their road to recovery, and give them an opportunity to learn essential life and professional skills. 

“It’s always been a dream of mine to be a hairdresser and then to open the salon down in Mexico for women to not only have a career but to experience being pampered,” Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez hopes to raise $50,000 for the salon’s construction. The fundraising has been split into phases. Once funds reach $20,000, construction will begin, and the funds will go towards salon essentials such as sinks, stations, tools, and products. 

The third phase of the funding will help Gonzalez and her co-workers at Tribe Salon Group pay for their travel expenses to Mexico. 

“The costs include us going down to teach them how to do hair and how to do a proper scalp massage, learn sanitization and de-licing procedures,” Gonzalez explained. 

Gonzalez says fundraising has reached $16,000, and regardless of the total amount fundraised, she will be going to Mexico for the start of construction in the fall. 

Dorothy, the woman who founded and runs the shelter, inspired Gonzalez to embark on this bold journey. Gonzalez described how she helped with every aspect of the women’s lives, from cooking and cleaning to helping them through their trauma. 

“I just think that’s incredibly inspiring; She’s 82 years old and has the energy of a 20-year-old, and I just aspire to be like that, just make a difference,” Gonzalez said. 

For Gonzalez, being bold is about listening to and following your dreams and setting examples for others

“I think we need more good role models and examples of women taking leadership and showing that we don’t need to just follow the trends and social media to make a difference and be seen,” Gonzalez said. 

Gonzalez wants everyone to follow their dreams and be bold in every aspect of their lives.

“Listen to the dream you’ve always had, and if you feel like that’s what your heart is saying, do it. Don’t let anybody discourage you or tell you otherwise,” she said. 

“Everybody is individually unique, and we all have a special dream that we need to make our own. We need to make our dream happen and make a difference in the world because we all can’t be the same.”

To learn more about the fundraiser and how to donate, you can contact the Tribe Salon Group on social media.

Is there someone in your life you’d like to nominate to be the Bold Woman of the Month? You can do so by filling out a nomination form here.