It's amazing how little things can end up changing someone's life. And in the case of Elizabethtown salon owner Leslie Mullin, what set her on the road toward helping women affected by domestic violence was amazingly simple: what to do with leftovers.

"In November 2004 I was working on a cancer benefit, and there was just so much food left over I thought, 'Now what in the world am I supposed to do with all this?,' " Mullin said.

"So I decided to give it to a charity, and just by chance I happened to think of Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County.

"So I just went by to drop off the food, but what I saw there affected me very, very deeply."

Founded in September 1976, according to DVSLC Director Bonnie Glover, her organization forms part of the Community Action Program of Lancaster County, a private, nonprofit corporation that aims to help low-income families become self-sufficient.

"We see victims from all economic and racial backgrounds, with about 95 percent of the people we help coming from Lancaster County," Glover said.

"Primarily we help women, but also we've also helped men as well."

Providing services such as counseling, transitional housing, a 24-hour hotline, legal help and community programs in workplaces and schools, DVSLC has recently begun working with Mullin to provide something special to women who have been the victims of domestic violence.

Once a month, a woman is selected to go to Mullin's salon to receive a totally free makeover, and on Mother's Day, all women utilizing DVSLC's transitional shelter get treated to the services the salon provides free of charge.

"It's a very nice working relationship we have with Ms. Mullin," Glover said. "She's done so, so much to provide for our women, and of course we're incredibly grateful."

Located at 1890 N. Market St. in Elizabethtown, Fling provides facials, manicures, pedicures and spa specials like deep tissue massages to its clients, as well as help with skin care — such as microderm abrasion therapy — plus cosmetic services.

"I started out in the business as a hairdresser, and after 28 years I was ready for something different," Mullin said. "I'd always wanted to own my own business, and after my parents passed, I was able to use the inheritance I received from them to chase my dream.

"It's wonderful," she said. "As of Nov. 6, we have been at this location for two years."

Mullin, whose father immigrated to the United States from Scotland, wanted to give her first-ever business a name to honor her family's heritage, and so she settled on the name Fling after one of the oldest traditional dances of Highland Scotland.

Today, she said, her firm has expanded to take on six employees.

To date, she said, 11 women have received a new look from Fling to encourage their fresh start in life.

"Whether personally or through friends or family, I don't think there's a woman out there who hasn't been affected in some way by domestic violence.

"By offering these services, we're helping women improve their self-esteem, or by helping them look fabulous before going out for a job interview," Mullin said.

"We care about people and want to make them happy," she said. "For us, it's just a pleasure to be able to see the smiles on these women's faces."

For more information on the salon, visit www.flingsalon.com.

For more information on Domestic Violence Services of Lancaster County, visit www.caplanc.org or call the domestic violence services hotline at 299-1249.