Counting Down to the First Day of Stocking Delivery
by Stephanie Wong

Wednesday marks the first day of handing out stockings for our 12 days of Christmas campaign and we’re so excited as everything is finally coming together. For myself, all the preparation that has gone into the stockings and fundraising for donations has been an absolute delight. I can’t thank Beauty Night enough for the opportunity to spread some love to women and youth in our very own community who could use the extra support.

During this whole experience, from sewing stockings to throwing a decorating frenzy to fundraising/collecting donations and coordinating drivers, I’ve witnessed (what Caroline mentions as being her favorite part of the holiday season) communities of families, friends and strangers coming together for the purpose of giving. This stocking drive reminds me of what the holidays are and should be about and has made me, a 24 year old, giddier than ever for Christmas.

Over a year ago, I became a part of the Beauty Night community, not so much with high hopes to change the world, but rather, the intention to maybe change how an individual might have been feeling (perhaps extra down or alone) on a particular night at the DTES women’s centre, even just for a moment. From what I’ve come to learn and from personal experience, it’s moments like these that really matter. Like the Beauty Night services, these stockings filled with donated goods demonstrate that people do care about one another and that others deserved to be cared about, regardless of our backgrounds. I can’t wait to start handing out these stockings!

I want to share with you a few photos of the artwork of the children, ages 2 to 11, at Lord’s Love Church who put all their efforts into prettying up close to 100 stockings despite knowing they couldn’t be brought home. It was great how the children understood that the stockings were to be given to people who needed a little something to make their holidays warm.

Happy holidays everyone!

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and even better if is to support a great cause. Come on join 9th Avenue Grill for a delicious ¨Beauty Night Benny¨ or the exquisite banana cinnamon crumble French toast, with all proceeds from both going to our cause. Starting, Saturday 22th until Sunday 24th.

You are not hungry? You can always stop by, and there will be other ways to donate for this amazing cause.

Where: 9th Avenue Grill, 1822 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6J 1Y9

We look forward to see you there!

Bon Appetit!

By Mira Thomas

I have been in Beauty Night for several months now, and Moose has become sort of an unofficial mentor for me in the Downtown Eastside. She teaches me to look for things I had never noticed or fully understood. As we walked down the streets together at night, Moose teaches me what the Downtown Eastside is really about.

She explains how the woman in the corner flailing her arms and uncontrollably turning around in circles is coming off of a drug. She points out how the atmosphere changes instantly as soon as a cop enters the scene. She explains how the presence of a group of male cops in a battered Women’s Shelter does not work well for the women there; there is often a lot of distrust and animosity in those situations.

She points out the good in the people living in the Eastside. She talks about how people who have never been to the DTES think the worst of the people there, that they are rude, violent, uneducated and lazy. But she shows me how wrong that is as a man comes up to us one night and offers us a tulip on the first day of spring and thanks us for smiling at him because he hasn’t seen a smile for awhile. I asked Moose who the flower could have been for. She told me it was probably for his girlfriend. I remember asking her, “Oh Moose! Does this mean his girlfriend’s not going to get a flower?” , she replied, “Oh no, he’s the kind of guy that’ll go out and buy another one for her.”

A few days later we were heading home from another Beauty Night session. We were on board a bus heading out of the DTES when a passenger got into a scuffle with the bus driver. As the scene unfolded in front of us she asked me to identify who had started the fight. I looked up and saw a pretty well-off looking man wildly gesturing and yelling at the bus driver, who was East Indian. He hurled insults at the man, telling him he was illiterate and to go back to his country. I was shocked. Suddenly a voice yelled from the back of the bus, “Hey! Stop talkin’ to him like that. Cut it out, or I’ll come over there n’ you don’t want that, trust me!”

I craned my head back to see who had come to the bus driver’s aide. It was a homeless man. He had a pretty bad limp n’ walked with a cane. One of his legs was badly hurt and bandaged up and he carried a bag over his shoulder. He was not afraid to stand up for what was right. The rude man at the front muttered something under his breath but he backed down instantly. Moose looked at me and said, “People think the one’s causing the problems are always the homeless ‘bums’, but it’s not like that. These people have big hearts, they are extremely caring and they look out for each other.”

I stopped to reflect and realized that a lot of people assume that affluent, well-off folks are also more well-mannered and caring than those that live on the streets. By volunteering at Beauty Night I have learned to take my presumptions about the women and check them at the door before going in to meet them. (I learn so much more about people when I do that.) The women I meet at Beauty Night don’t fit into the stereotypes I have made for them in my head. They are a diverse group of women; each of them as unique as their story.

On Tuesday, June 19th you will get an opportunity to meet our board candidates for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. With board member Sheila Evani and Julia Pon entering into the 2nd year of their 2 year term, we have several board members up for reelection and many new candidates wanting to become part of our Beauty Night team.

Manjot Bains

Manjot Bains is a communications consultant and freelance writer based in Vancouver, BC. As Editorial Director of Jugni Style.com, an online lifestyle magazine, Manjot directs editorial content and manages a team of writers to create topical and creative stories on fashion, beauty and culture. She has presented on gender, race and performance at conferences across North America, and is currently completing her MA in Communication and Culture at York University.

Annie Bennett a London trained make up artist for film and television.
Beauty Night Society incorporates Annie’s fundamental belief that having a foundation in self is the most valuable commodity anybody can posses.

David Chen owner of DC Complete Financial has a variety of degrees and professional training with real world experiences, has volunteered with a variety of non-profit organizations and mentors young Canadian business entrepreneurs.

Stacey Dallyn started volunteering for Beauty Night Society in August 2009. Her production skills and contacts developed through over 20 years experience in fashion, media and film made has given Beauty Night fresh angles to show case media friendly.

Kristi Delorme, has worked as a Social Worker supporting Aboriginal children and families since 2008, where she connects them to appropriate support services. She is running for her 2nd term as a Beauty Night board member.

Laura Fairfield ,a Business Development Manager for Vancouver firm, Vega; producer of plant-based nutritional products. She has been an active volunteer in the DTES since 2002 including volunteer positions at WISH and Beauty Night Society.

Tyla Flexman is a UBC Human Kinetics graduate who is currently a member of the Canadian women’s field hockey team. Her passion lies in promoting, motivating and enabling positive lifestyles in all populations, but specifically in women and youth.

Pamela Lelong one of the founding members of Beauty Night Society, she has served as Co-chair and Secretary/Treasurer and wrote the original constating documents for Beauty Night.

Lydia Taylor, she is passionate about business as a vehicle for social good. She is an entrepreneur with expertise in corporate strategy, business development, fundraising, sales and marketing, and operations.

Veronica Vinje currently works as a consultant for private and public companies, having worked for publicly traded companies since 2005.. Ms. Vinje has provided fund-raising and events management for a variety of charities, and has previously been involved in political and civic issues.

To our board members, volunteers, and supporters, I take this opportunity to express our sincerest appreciation for your contribution building and maintaining Beauty Night Society. It is through the support of individuals like you that we are able to continue to strengthen our programs, and to develop new and innovative projects to serve our participants and community better.

Again, thank you for making Beauty Night mission a reality.