Sara's father, Dr. Geoffrey Tabin, is an ophthalmologist and the Director of International Ophthalmology at the Moran Eye Center. He has performed cataract operations all over the world.

"A cataract is a clouding of the lens," Sara Tabin said. "The fix is a simple, quick operation. In Ethiopia, there's limited access to health care, so we held a free cataract outreach. We performed 571 operations in total."

Sara Tabin and her father worked in Ethiopia for 10 days, performing surgeries and training local doctors in high-volume surgery, so they can continue to perform operations.

She helped organize the patients and other volunteers, gave patients eye drops, worked on public relations and comforted frightened patients, to name only a few of her duties. Because she has been accompanying her father for so many years, she already had a solid foundation of what needed to be done for the patients.

Cataract surgery requires the doctor to replace the lens in the eye. The surgery is easy to perform, and since artificial lenses are used, the surgeons are able to perform many operations.

"You can change someone's life overnight," Tabin said. "One day they couldn't see and the next day they can."

Tabin, however, had a difficult time finding her place at the start of the trip.

"I knew the work we were doing was important, but I wasn't sure that my role was necessary," she said. "One day when I was in the market, I saw a young girl selling avocadoes and noticed instantly that she had a trauma cataract. I told her that we were doing free surgeries and could do one for her that day. She turned around and ran straight to the hospital. I held her hand during the surgery because she was nervous. After, when she could see, she hugged me and cried. So I know for sure that I helped one person. Her name was Tigist; she's 17 like me."

Tabin recalled a story her father used to tell her, in which an old man is on a beach throwing starfish that had washed up onto the shore back into the water. Someone approaches the man and tells him there are so many starfish that he could never make a difference. The old man picks one up, throws it in and says, "Well, it made a difference to that one."

"I feel like Tigist was my starfish," Tabin said.

Tabin hopes that she can continue to work in the cataract camps in the future and even has dreams of continuing the work her father is already doing. She has expressed interest in going to medical school and working in other countries to perform surgeries and train local doctors.

"I think if I did go into medicine, I'd want to be an OB/GYN because there's a huge need for infant and maternal healthcare in developing countries," Tabin said.

For now, Tabin is focusing on her senior year of high school, which will include applying to colleges. She is a member of the Student Council and a debate team captain. Tabin donates her time to the National Ability Center and Big Brothers Big Sisters, which she says is "the highlight of my week."

"My favorite thing to do is make people happy," Tabin says. There's no doubt she'll help plenty of other starfish in the future.

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Jo Ann Howa has been in the interior design industry for years. In 1990, Howa opened a small interior design and furniture store in Park City in the Emporium. She designed residences all over Park City, including some at the Grand Summit Hotel.

After taking some time off work, Howa recently opened a new interior design and furniture shop at the Redstone Center at Kimball Junction called Natural Instincts Interior Design.

"We've been open for two months now. A lot of people remember me; it's been a great transition back to Park City." Howa says.

Howa says that business has been doing very well and she has been mostly working on "single-family residential projects."

When choosing products to sell, Howa always tries to find unique furniture and accessories from furniture markets all over the United States.

"I do a lot of research. The Internet has changed the design industry tremendously. Our clients shop online, so we need to try to introduce them to new things that they wouldn't necessarily find online," Howa says.

Howa also puts her furniture and accessories together in a way that clients wouldn't normally think of, such as pairing certain colors together. "I try to do something different and I try to not carry what someone else carries."

Howa's unique taste is now being showcased in her own line of furnishings, including several tables and accessories.

"It's great to have the store so clients can test-drive their furniture before purchasing," Howa says.

While Howa does bring in unique pieces, she also tries to keep up with current trends that are popular among her clients. The trends include tufted upholstery, metallic bronze pieces and streamlined furniture.

In particular, Howa says that the interior design trend in Park City is a clean-lined contemporary feel mixed with a rustic influence.

For Howa, this new chapter has been extremely rewarding, "This is my passion. I'll probably do this for the rest of my life."

Contact Jo Ann Howa by visiting the Natural Instincts Interior Design showroom at 1675 Redstone Center Drive or calling 435-575-0363.

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Ivan Pokusa and his wife, Sylvie, got their start in real estate -- flipping and selling homes. In August of 2013, they became the owners of the Utah franchise of Show Homes, a national company that stages homes to make them more appealing to buyers.

"The staging is not just putting the furniture in," Pokusa says, "It's to highlight the personality of the house." Pokusa says that through staging, he tries to give buyers ideas of what they can do with the houses.

Pokusa also explains that staging is about emphasizing the best parts of the house, "Any imperfection in the house will take your attention and you will not like the house."

For example, if a buyer walked into a house and thought that a door on a living room wall took away from the room and limited the way it could be decorated, the buyer might decide to purchase a different house. However, Pokusa uses furniture to show buyers how the room could look despite any limitations.

"We find what needs to be done so you as the buyer can feel good about the house," Pokusa says.

Pokusa explains that much of the decision-making process resides in the subconscious mind. This means that a buyer can walk into a room and get a certain feeling, good or bad, with no distinct reason why they have that feeling. "You have to walk into the house and feel good," Pokusa says, "If you don't feel good, it doesn't matter why, you won't buy the house.

The goal, Pokusa says, is to create a feeling so pleasant that the buyer doesn't want to leave.

When Pokusa is asked to stage a home, he first does an assessment and determines what the house needs. This could range from bringing in new furniture to cleaning the house. He typically tries to keep the house interior and furniture in a neutral color palette in order to appeal to all buyers.

Pokusa says that he puts the most effort into the first room the buyers see when they walk in the home or the impact area. This room creates the first impression and sets the overall tone for the rest of the tour.

For people trying to sell their homes and wanting to make it more appealing to buyers, Pokusa offers a few tips:

• Pay attention to current trends and incorporate them into your home. Industrial furniture and reclaimed wood are very popular right now.
• Decorate the house in a neutral color palette.
• Make sure the house is clean and smells good.
• Remove most clutter as it can be overwhelming to a buyer.
• Make sure that the house does not have a lot of personal things, such as a wall of family photos. The goal is to make the buyer feel like this could be their home.

For more information on Show Homes, contact Ivan Pokusa at 801-200-4241 or visit www.showhomesparkcity.com.

The post Show Homes are selling appeared first on Park Record.

When Andrea Arel suffered from a severe concussion that impaired her cognitive abilities and memory, she sought rehabilitation through a therapeutic software program called Interactive Metronome. After completing 12 sessions, Arel says she has been "fine ever since."

"We know that this works. We watched it work," her partner, Jeff Hommel says. Arel and Hommel decided to start their own business, The Brain Gym, which utilizes Interactive Metronome to help people with concussions, memory loss, autism, Parkinson's, ADHD, depression and more.

The software retrains the brain to correct timing and sequencing, Arel says, "Timing is everything.

The program requires the participant to clap to a beat. The closer the participant is to aligning their claps with the beat, the higher their cognitive score is. Then, the program gets progressively more difficult, including having the participant speak while clapping, tapping their feet and clapping targets.

The game-like platform builds neurons and creates new pathways in the brain. After completing the program, the new connections and pathways don't go away. "It's not like working out and building muscle," Arel says, "Once it's there, it's there."

The program typically consists of 12 sessions, three times a week for one month. Each session is about an hour long.

The results, Arel and Hommel explained, are astounding. "ADHD kids get off their medication. PTSD patients stop living in their trauma."

Interactive Metronome is already used in hospitals and rehabilitation centers across the country. Utah and Idaho, Hommel explained, are the only two states that "aren't using the program extensively."

The program also reaches beyond those needing cognitive improvement. Because the software is designed to improve timing, attention and processing, Arel and Hommel say they have been successful in implementing the therapy into improved athletic performance. The exercises use the same idea of clapping to a beat, but they are tailored to the sport. For instance, tennis players will mimic forehand and backhand swings while striking a target on beat.

Since the Interactive Metronome software is portable, Arel and Hommel often do therapy at participants' homes, working from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Military personnel can visit www.attentionfund.org to learn about scholarships available to them.

For more information about The Brain Gym or to set up an appointment, call Arel and Hommel at (435) 602-0500 or visit www.brainim.com.

The post The Brain Gym is working out appeared first on Park Record.

Annie Garnas Lamb grew up in Park City, graduated from Park City High School and has now opened her own business in her hometown. Lamb has opened a hair salon in Quarry Village called Salon 80—named for its location just off of Interstate 80.

Lamb was a hairdresser for salon franchise Cost Cutters for six years. When the owner of Cost Cutters decided to sell the salon, Lamb took the opportunity to create her own business. "There was a really short turnaround," Lamb says, "On April 30 it was Cost Cutters, and on May 1 it was Salon 80."

Over the time she worked at Cost Cutters, Lamb says she developed a loyal clientele that stayed with her through the transition to Salon 80. She also hired two hairdressers that worked for the franchise with her previously, so the salon has had steady business from previous customers since its grand opening.

Now, Lamb hopes to establish Salon 80 as a high-end but affordable salon, "I want great service and good quality but we're not going to charge you an arm and a leg for it. I'm targeting the locals and the local families: the moms and the dads and the kids."

Lamb says she wants her salon to be a busy spot with both regular and new clients. She would like her clients to have the same experiences she had when she was growing up. "When I was growing up in Park City we had the same hairdresser that we'd all go to. My mom would go to her, my dad would go to her, the kids would go to her, and I like that. I like that I've seen my clients grow up. A lot of them, I've been cutting their hair for 8 years."

Salon 80 is a full-service salon that caters to both men and women with all types of hair. The stylists at the salon specialize in cuts, color, facial waxing, hair extensions and Brazilian blowouts. Lamb hopes that the salon can eventually include more waxing services as well as eyelash extensions.

The hair product lines Lamb has chosen to sell at the salon include Paul Mitchell, Biolage and Pureology, among others. In a few weeks, she said, she will also be selling a natural, organic line of hair products called Onesta. If customers are looking for product lines that are not available in her salon, Lamb said she is more than happy to order them.

Salon 80 accepts both appointments made over the phone as well as walk-ins.

After a month of full operation, Lamb is sure that opening Salon 80 was a great decision, "Owning a business is going to be really good for my family, just being that I can spend a little more time with them."

With both Lamb and her husband owning businesses in Park City—Lamb's husband is the owner of the PC Meat & Provisions butcher shop—the Lamb family is truly a local one.

Salon 80:

Closed Sunday

The post Pinebrook salon goes from franchise to local appeared first on Park Record.

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Annie Garnas Lamb grew up in Park City, graduated from Park City High School and has now opened her own business in her hometown. Lamb has opened a hair salon in Quarry Village called Salon 80—named for its location just off of Interstate 80.

Lamb was a hairdresser for salon franchise Cost Cutters for six years. When the owner of Cost Cutters decided to sell the salon, Lamb took the opportunity to create her own business. "There was a really short turnaround," Lamb says, "On April 30 it was Cost Cutters, and on May 1 it was Salon 80."

Over the time she worked at Cost Cutters, Lamb says she developed a loyal clientele that stayed with her through the transition to Salon 80. She also hired two hairdressers that worked for the franchise with her previously, so the salon has had steady business from previous customers since its grand opening.

Now, Lamb hopes to establish Salon 80 as a high-end but affordable salon, "I want great service and good quality but we’re not going to charge you an arm and a leg for it. I’m targeting the locals and the local families: the moms and the dads and the kids."

Lamb says she wants her salon to be a busy spot with both regular and new clients. She would like her clients to have the same experiences she had when she was growing up. "When I was growing up in Park City we had the same hairdresser that we’d all go to. My mom would go to her, my dad would go to her, the kids would go to her, and I like that. I like that I’ve seen my clients grow up. A lot of them, I’ve been cutting their hair for 8 years."

Salon 80 is a full-service salon that caters to both men and women with all types of hair. The stylists at the salon specialize in cuts, color, facial waxing, hair extensions and Brazilian blowouts. Lamb hopes that the salon can eventually include more waxing services as well as eyelash extensions.

The hair product lines Lamb has chosen to sell at the salon include Paul Mitchell, Biolage and Pureology, among others. In a few weeks, she said, she will also be selling a natural, organic line of hair products called Onesta. If customers are looking for product lines that are not available in her salon, Lamb said she is more than happy to order them.

Salon 80 accepts both appointments made over the phone as well as walk-ins.

After a month of full operation, Lamb is sure that opening Salon 80 was a great decision, "Owning a business is going to be really good for my family, just being that I can spend a little more time with them."

With both Lamb and her husband owning businesses in Park City—Lamb’s husband is the owner of the PC Meat & Provisions butcher shop—the Lamb family is truly a local one.

Salon 80: