Greg Smith, of Lawrence, jokes with Barbara Crider while receiving a pre-haircut shampoo at Hair Experts Salon and Day Spa, 2100 W. 25th St. Proceeds from the salon's annual cut-a-thon Thursday helped raise money for a new Habitat for Humanity house in Lawrence.

Cutting hair took on a special meaning Thursday for stylists at Hair Experts Salon and Day Spa.

“We brought a lot of people in on their days off,” stylist Keri Truscello said of the salon’s annual cut-a-thon fundraiser. “We really want to try to make as much money for this family as we can.”

All salon profits for the day will be donated to Habitat for Humanity for construction of a home in Lawrence for a family with 3- and 1-year-old children.

“We just found out about our family yesterday,” Truscello said. “We are very excited about them, though.”

While the salon has at least one fundraiser each year, this is the first time it has donated proceeds to Habitat for Humanity.

“We’ve been in Lawrence for 15 years,” owner Brenda Peterson-Smith said. “We have done a cut-a-thon every year since 1992.”

The salon hopes to raise more than $10,000 for the house – an increase of $4,000 from last year’s event.

“Last year, we found that with next to no effort and very short notice for the setup, we were still able to raise more than $6,000 in a day,” Peterson-Smith said. “This year we’ve had a lot more time to set up and plan.”

The salon is still accepting tax-deductible donations, which can be sent or delivered to the salon at 2100 W. 25th St.

To qualify for a Habitat for Humanity house, families must demonstrate financial need and a willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity.

Families put in an average of 450 hours of work as part of their payment for the house, which they can buy with a no-interest mortgage. The home becomes affordable for low-income families because they are required to pay only for materials, thanks to volunteer labor.