PEABODY — A small way to give back has turned into a major mission for a Peabody couple known for their downtown hair salon.
Tony Vargas, owner of Exclusive Hair Design on Main Street, will carry a 35-pound weight on his back while walking a 26.2 mile route in Concord as part of the Massachusetts Tough Ruck run/walk on April 20.
It’s the second year he’s fundraised and taken park in the walk. Already, he and his wife Jennifer Vargas have passed his team’s total donation of $15,000 from last year on their own with a month of fundraising still to go.
To date, they’ve raised $17,000 as the leaders of their team, the Trailblazers, and are currently in second place for team fundraising in this year’s Tough Ruck.
“The hardest part isn’t the training,” Tony Vargas said. “The hardest part is the fundraising.”
The money they raise will support families of fallen first responders and service members, as the Tough Ruck aims to give back to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving or who died while on the job.
Tony Vargas’s backpack will be adorned with familiar names on the day of the ruck, including Jennifer Vargas’ stepfather, the late Salem firefighter John P. Riley, and Peabody Police Officer Henry Breckenridge.
Tough Ruck paid for Breckenridge’s funeral in Lynn when he died unexpectedly during surgery in 2023. He was a beloved community police officer and a customer at the Vargases’ salon.
The April 20 event will honor him and many others who are no longer here. Like last year, Tony Vargas will walk with a golden ribbon donning Breckenridge’s name on his backpack.
“Once Tony was there [at last year’s Tough Ruck], not only did it hit him physically, because obviously you leave there and you’re in pain a little bit, but mentally, spiritually,” Jennifer Vargas said. “It just really hit him hard coming over the finish line. It was emotional.”
It’s common for participants to carry the names of loved ones who served in the military or as a first responder along with their 15 or 35-pound weighted bag during the Ruck. Jennifer Vargas’ cousin Anthony Burnham will wear the names of four brothers in their family, including her grandfather, who all served in World War II.
The couple is planning to add the names of donors’ loved ones who served to a list Tony Vargas will carry with him while walking.
Donors can pay $50 for a name to be printed on a golden ribbon he will wear on his bag, $25 to add their name to a memorial card on his bag or buy a star for $5-20 that will be on display at Exclusive Hair Design.
With more time to fundraise this year, the Vargases have put together a raffle they’re calling “The Biggest Raffle Ever” with prizes ranging from gift cards to local businesses and prizes from Peabody officials, like Uber eats lunch with the middle and high school principals, to a $1,300 Red Sox package that includes premium tickets to a game, the chance to share a special moment on the jumbotron and have a warm up with players from the team.
The raffle is set up at their 60 Main St. shop so locals can walk in and buy tickets during business hours. Tickets will also be available for sale at the couple’s fundraiser night at Amigo’s in Peabody on April 2, when 20% of the restaurant’s sales will support the Tough Ruck.
Tickets are one for $3, three for $5, five for $10, 10 for $20 or an arm’s length worth of tickets for 25$. The Vargases will be collecting donations up until the day of the event.
The Trailblazers has grown from four people to nearly 30 since the first Tough Ruck Tony Vargas completed in 2024. Partly because the Vargases have encouraged their customers to help raise money, and also because rucking helps people exercise and stay healthy, they said.
“We’re trying to have a culture of fitness challenging with our clients, and I just felt like this was a perfect opportunity,” Tony Vargas said.
“Rucking has become very popular because it’s less stress on your joints and you burn more calories. It helps with your posture, and you don’t have to put so much mileage out there if you get a backpack with some weight on it and you just walk. You burn more calories and you’re going to feel good about your workout.”
But the main point of their mission is to give back, Jennifer Vargas said.
“We’re doing this because we’re thankful and grateful for military members and first responders.”
To donate to their Tough Ruck walk, email Jennifer Vargas at JLMVargas13@aol.com or call her at 978-979-7997.
Contact Caroline Enos at CEnos@northofboston.com