Passion To Give Back

Lee D. Robinson, M.D. is passionate about giving back. He has had a successful facial cosmetic surgery practice for more than 20 years in Lake Oswego, Oregon. He is also medical director of Oswego Spa & Laser, a medical day spa which opened five years ago and is physically incorporated in his practice.

But Dr. Robinson’s community is hurting. While Oregon’s unemployment stands at 10.6 percent – a full percentage point higher than the national jobless rate, many people are tapping out their unemployment benefits.

To help ease that burden, and with the help of his staff, Dr. Robinson created an incredibly successful free career counseling workshop for the unemployed. In addition, free Botox treatments were offered valued from $300-$500 for each attendee.

The six-hour “Get Back to Work” workshop held Oct. 15, 2010, helped the unemployed with their resumes, job interview preparedness, style counseling, make-up and skin care as well as free Botox. It was an extremely successful event.

The idea to offer the workshop sprang from Dr. Robinson’s ongoing desire to give back. “Many of our clients have been affected by the downturn in the economy,” he said. “Looking older or stressed can affect a person’s confidence when looking for a job. If we can help the unemployed increase their self assurance, we can help families in our community get back to work.”

The demand for the event was high. Oswego Spa & Laser had to limit the number of attendees to 20 so that its two nurses could handle the Botox workload, but twice the number signed up.

In addition to receiving the Botox treatments, attendees listened to informative and educational presentations and each had individual sessions with the exceptional panel of professionals: Barbara Barde, career coach and resume writing expert gave the three “P’s” of job interviewing: Preparation, Preparation, Preparation. Valerie Beset-Price, image and style consultant talked about the importance of the “first impression,” how to dress for your body type, proper fitting attire, and grooming; Dorothy Ryan, Oswego Spa & Laser esthetician and makeup artist, discussed the dos and don’ts of proper job interview makeup application and gave demonstrations as well.

One-on-one professional help

Following the presentations each attendee was treated to individual sessions with Barde, Berset-Price and Ryan, and nurses who gave the Botox injections, Deb-ee Jones and Staci Bronson. They also received elegant gift boxes filled with skin care items and other gifts.

Barde provided resume critique and advice along with overall job placement information. Berset-Price evaluated the attire of each participant to include information on proper fit, color and style. Ryan gave advice on makeup, color analysis and makeup application.

The day began at 9 am and wrapped up at 3 pm. The positive reactions and individual bonding between the women who had never met one another was inspiring. Expressions of thanks and gratitude were everywhere:

The spa plans to accommodate those on the waiting list as well as others at another “Get Back to Work” workshop this coming winter.

Giving back over the years

This isn’t the first time Dr. Robinson has given back. When the Iraq war broke out, he sponsored “A Special Day of Pampering for Military Wives and Moms.” He and his staff worked with the Oregon National Guard to identify wives and moms of deployed soldiers that could be honored with a “Queen for a Day” experience. Once a month for 18 months a wife or mother of a deployed soldier was picked up by a chauffer, given flowers, gift baskets, a gourmet lunch, a four-hour spa treatment, an overnight stay at a luxury hotel and more. He was commended by the Oregon National Guard for this special project.

More recently, Dr. Robinson has also sponsored fundraisers for the Bradley Angle House, the oldest shelter for women and children survivors of domestic and sexual violence on the West coast.