Hey there, calendar girl,
we can hardly wait to see
the new calendar guys.
Rhonda Hareid, owner and operator of Looks Unlimited in downtown Ellendale, first helped produce a calendar to raise funds following the tornado that came through our area in 2011. Who would not want to buy a calendar for a good cause that featured male models from our hometown area?
The 2012 Rugged Looks calendar raised $2,500 and the money was donated to the Red Cross so it could help others facing tragedies.
Hareid has once again been inspired to do a second such calendar for 2014, this time because of her sister, Roxanne Copp, who she lists as her hero. Roxanne was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in 2002 and continues to fight against this dreaded disease.
"Nobody understands what cancer does unless you are affected by someone close, be it a family member or a dear friend," said Hareid.
She hopes this new 14-month calendar will help turn something fun and practical into funds to help the local cancer campaign. Everybody needs a calendar and anybody can have one with pretty mountains and streams, but to be able to look up and see someone you know and be reminded of why they were willing to pose for the cancer calendar, is so much nicer.
For the guys, that moment of fame and signing autographs at a party puts a little bit of joy in many people’s lives. It just makes life more interesting.
Rhonda’s goal is to raise as much money as she can and present it to the 2014 Geneva Cancer Auction.
Though Rhonda took the pictures for the 2012 Rugged Looks calendar herself, this year she enlisted the photography skills of Angela Dobberstein, a professional photographer of Daydreams by Angela. Dobberstein also thought this project was a good idea and volunteered to photograph, for free, 16 good-looking young men who would pose for the calendar because they had connections to the cancer cause.
Rhonda admitted she did have to twist a few arms, but all the men have been good sports because they believe in the reason she is working on this project.
She feels she got a good representation of men from our area for the new calendar. She chose men who had been affected by cancer in their family or close friends, and many of the men are clients of her Looks Unlimited salon.
In exchange for the men giving of their time and talents to this project, Dobberstein came up with the idea of including an additional picture on each of the men’s feature page of someone they would like to honor who had been touched by cancer.
Dobberstein started taking pictures the last part of February for the new calendar, "Hot Looks for a Cure" and on Wednesday, March 13, the last two men, Mike Meixner of Owatonna and Robert Powell of Ellendale, were photographed
at Angela's studio in Geneva.
The men brought along a couple of changes of clothes so Rhonda could get the right look for the calendar and as Angela was taking the pictures on Wednesday afternoon, she had music playing to set the mood.
“It has been a blast, taking pictures of all of these great men,” said Dobberstein
The men featured are all friends and neighbors include: Jason Tieskotter of Austin — January; Cole Johnson of Owatonna — February; Alex Beenken of Geneva — March; Jesse Quam of Clarks Grove — April; Andy McKinney of Albert Lea/Clarks Grove — May; Brent Dobberstein of Ellendale — June; Tim Sorenson of Geneva — July; Jeff Dobberstein of Ellendale — August; Dennis Deml of Owatonna — September; Three members of the Owatonna Fire Department Dalton Wanous, Kelly Hanson and Travis Ahrens, all of Owatonna — October; Kevin Klocek of Ellendale — November; Rick Thompson of Ellendale — December. Mike Meixner of Owatonna will be featured for January of 2015. Robert (Bob) Powell of Ellendale, February 2015
Each of the men will also be featured on the cover of the 2014 calendar.
The calendars have been completed and the "Hot Looks For a Cure" calendar committee is planning on holding the "Kick-Off" at Geneva Bar & Grill on Friday night, May 31 starting at 7. Those who modeled will be there to visit and sign calendars.
