Fifteen years ago, No Limit Haircare owners Buffy and Dwann Dillon launched a school supply giveaway out of their Spanish Lake salon as a way of paying their success forward. After only three years of presenting their Back to School Bash, Dwann Dillon died of colon cancer. He was only 39 years old. Towards the end of Dwann’s battle with his disease, Buffy made him two promises. She assured him that the good work that they were doing through the back-to-school bash would continue – and that she would never let the world forget her husband’s name.
The event has grown exponentially in the years since they started. It outgrew the salon and moved to the North County Rec Plex.
As the Dwann Dillon Colon Cancer Foundation’s 15th Annual Back to School Bash came to a close on the afternoon of Sunday, August 10, Buffy didn’t appear the least bit exhausted or emotionally taxed after completing an event with so many moving parts.
“The foundation began by me basically telling him I wasn’t going to let the world forget his name,” Buffy said. “And, I mean, if you’re here, what are you doing on Earth if you are not helping somebody?”
Her intention for the fair was beyond offering help. Buffy wanted to provide life-changing – and possibly life-saving – services.
“I didn’t want it to be an event where kids play in a bounce house, get a bag and walk out,” Buffy said. “It was my hope that at least one of the vendors – either on the inside or the outside – made a difference in their lives.”
In addition to the nearly 500 backpacks they gifted, the event had teeth cleaning services, hearing screenings and vision screenings.
But the service that was closest to Buffy’s heart were the colon and prostate cancer screenings offered by PECaD (Program for the Elimination of Cancer Disparities) – an initiative of Siteman Cancer Center and Washington University.
“It was another way we wanted to make sure we touched lives,” Buffy said.
DaVonte Hughes, a rapper and 22-year-old cancer survivor, was also among the roster of groups and individuals who entertained those who attended.
“When I heard his story, I said, ‘I’ve got to get you here to perform,’” Buffy said. “I wanted to show people that this is a young man who battled cancer and overcame.”
In addition to the supplies, screenings and services. Youngsters received fresh haircuts and styles thanks to her partnership with Craig Blac’s Community Cuts for Kids.
Andrea Montgomery has worked closely with Blac since the beloved former St. Louis radio personality started the initiative 25 years ago.
“It’s so often that we don’t have a lot of what we need – when we need it – around back to school time,” Montgomery said. “Craig has been adamant about continuing to come back to St. Louis. He doesn’t even live here anymore. Him being so committed to our city and our region drives me.”
The W founder and owner Wydonna Sumpter has had a presence at the back-to-school bash by way of Community Cuts for Kids for the past six years.
“I’m from Pruitt-Igoe, so I know what it feels like to go back to school without new clothes or shoes and without my hair done,” Sumpter said. “To see these kids smile and go back to school with what everybody else has makes me feel so good. All I am is a ‘big mama.’ We are the village that is helping shape the child – and through events like this, they know they can depend on us.”
If Buffy’s late husband could speak to her, she knows without a doubt what he would say.
“He’d tell me, ‘Buffy, we did it again,’” Buffy said. “I want to keep making him proud and letting him know, ‘We didn’t forget about you Wann.’ A lot of people leave this earth and people forget about them. I promised him, ‘We won’t ever forget you.’”
Buffy feels her husband is beyond worthy of the recognition she continually gives him by way of the foundation.
“One way or another, we wanted to make sure that we touched lives,” said Buffy.