Dignity is Beautiful
Our next volunteer orientations will be:
Tuesday, April 1st
5-7:30pm
Vancouver
Wednesday, April 13
11-2pm
Surrey
Please email cover letter and resume to Lynda at [email protected]. Or you can click on the volunteer button on the left side of the screen and kindly fill in the volunteer application form.
In an uplifting and life-affirming talk, Caroline MacGillivray takes us on a journey of how she discovered that beauty can heal self esteem and restore dignity for people who have experienced violence and isolation.
Team Beauty Night Members:
(back row) Courtney, Carol, Fiona (Front row) Mylen, Stephanie and Caroline at 1st monthly Beauty Night in Burnaby
February 28th we escaped from the rain and visited our friends at Elspeth House in Burnaby. Over tea and snacks, services such as hair cuts, foot care, skin care, nail care and relaxation massage were offered to our participants.
Our first monthly event in Burnaby started off slow. The participants came by to greet us. Yet it took a while to connect and build the level of comfort to have programming. By the end of the evening laughter, friendship and fun filled the room. The following day we received a beautiful email from one of our friends on staff:
Dear Caroline,
I wanted to give you and your wonderful volunteers a sincere THANK YOU from Elspeth House. The goodwill and positive energy that you brought to the women through your personal attention and kindness has facilitated a climate of kindness and respect that is evident today between the women. Thank you to you and your volunteers for modeling dignity, respect and compassion in action and passing this along to the women as a powerful tool that they can use in their interpersonal relationships.
I overheard some of the women telling you and your volunteers their personal stories and this is evidence that you were able to create a safe and trusting environment in a very short time that humanizes and validates women wherever they area in their personal history. Leadership has many definitions and leaders have many qualities, the best leaders are the ones that see what needs to be done, organize like minded people, roll up their sleeves and get the job done. These are the people that make a difference in peoples lives and you are one of those people.
The women have signed a thank you card (their idea) to you and your volunteers and I told them that I would send it off to you, could you send me your postal address?
Sincerely,
Marlene
Want to join Team Beauty Night?
Currently we are looking for volunteers who are able to commit to once a month (in Surrey, Burnaby, New West) or weekly in Vancouver (Mon, Tues, Wed, or Thursday). Our volunteer shifts are usually 5-8:30pm.
If you are still interested, please let us know if you would like to attend our volunteer orientations.
Our next orientations are:
Sunday, Feb 17th
12pm -2:30pm
Maxxine Wright
13733 92nd Ave (King George Hwy and 92nd ave)
Tuesday, March 5th
5 - 7:30pm
Firehall VPL 1455 West 10th Avenue
Monday, March 11th
6-8:30pm
Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre
302 Columbia
Please arrive 5-10 minutes early for orientation. Incoming volunteers must bring photocopies of specific paper work (certifications, food safe, criminal records check, first aid certification).
* If incoming volunteers arrive more than 10 minutes late and/or leave more than 10 minutes before completion of orientation, they will need to retake orientation.
Happy 2013! Team Beauty Night jumped right into the new year with two beauty nights in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside (DTES). With January 1 falling on the Tuesday, we started our year visiting some of our community partnerships facilities.Wednesday night brought Team Beauty Night to Sorella House and Thursday to First United Church (320 East Hastings Street).
Our visit to First United Church is always special to us. Back in 2000, Wish Drop in Centre’s home in the church. 12 years ago, we held our first Beauty Night there. Last night volunteers, staff, and participants shared their thoughts as what they love about Beauty Night.
If you are interested in joining our cause, there are opportunities to volunteer, donate or become a sponsor. Thank you for your on going support. Beauty Night… dignity is beautiful.
On Thursday, November 8th Pink Tank Group is hosting Beauty For A Cause.
In other words, a Fundraising Beauty Night for our those who want to support our cause. Sukis Salon, Dermalogica, and Blanche MacDonald will be on hand offering beauty treatments to make you feel good.
Join us for a unique night of mingling and networking combined with all your favourite beauty services. Drink wine and connect while getting a blow out, a Dermalogica MicroZone Skin Treatment, an RMT back massage, a make-up touch up and a manicure. Find out first hand how it feels to help the women of the Downtown East Side through the magic of Beauty Night. 100% of the proceeds will go towards Beauty Night embracing the concept of “women helping women”.
To give you an idea of what our last beauty fundraiser was like, Natalie Langston covered the event for Novus’ City Lights.
To buy tickets, please click here.
It’s hard to believe that Beauty Night Society is almost 9! A lot has changed as we have grown, and a lot more will change as we continue to grow.
The Vancouver Sun wrote this story about our 8 year anniversary.
Since then, our programming has continued to expand, with thanks to our generous volunteers and supporters. We really couldn’t do this without you!
We’re at the start of our busiest season. If you’re interested in volunteering, please email [email protected] to see about opportunities. If you would like to donate yarn or knitting needles for Knit Fit, that would also be wonderful.
We are trying to raise funds to buy products to put into our Christmas Stockings as well. Having funds allows us to buy in bulk, which is beneficial to the women. We love product as well, but it does have to be unused and unopened to ensure our clients feel dignified. Just think, would you like to receive a half used bottle of shampoo in your stocking?
We are also gearing up a Mom and Tot nutrition program, where we will be teaching Moms how to cook simple, healthy recipes under the constraint of it having to be prepared on a hotplate since that is the tools they have available. If you would like to donate crockpots or other kitchen supplies (such as tupperware), we would love that too!
I’m excited about what the future holds for Beauty Night, and I can’t thank you enough for making all of this possible.
Writer Michelle Hopkins interviews Beauty Night clients and volunteers in the month’s Vancouver Lifestyles Magazine. Here is the article online. Photo by Brett Beadle.
Here is the link:
http://vlmonline.ca/columns/street-level
Beauty Night Turns 8!
Date: Monday, December 15th, 6 -9pm
Location: Life Skills Centre at 412 East Cordova.
“She’s growing up,” says Beauty Night Founder, Caroline MacGillivray.
On December 15th Beauty Night celebrates its 8th birthday. “It is
amazing how far we have come,” says MacGillivray.
In 8 years, the award-winning non-profit program has provided 10,000
makeovers to marginalized women and youth in Vancouver, Victoria, and
Toronto. Beauty Night’s Monday makeover night on December 15th will
include some North Pole notables-Mrs. Claus and her elves handing out
Christmas stockings designed by Nancy Black. “This is the sixth year of
our annual stocking drive,” says MacGillivray. “Every year we make 500
stockings and hand most of them out on Xmas eve as well as during the
events leading up to it.”
Typically, Beauty Night’s Monday makeover night at the Life Skills
Centre unites an impressive roster of Lower Mainland volunteers.
Hairdressers, makeup artists, estheticians, massage therapists, plus
many more volunteers join forces to offer services for the women. On
December 15th, the “tea” ladies from Teldon Publishing will also be on
hand offering hot tea and healthy snacks to Beauty Night clients. Lush
Cosmetics will be offering mini facials.
The community has kicked in to help. Spearheaded by Beauty Night’s
Stocking Coordinator, Blair Lockhart and Product Coordinator, Revel
Kunz, many more volunteers throughout the community have helped make
this event a reality. Students at York House School, the Rangers (youth
girls group), Sharon Hong and many more helped sew the stockings.
Canada Trust, Carrie Wheeler Talent Management, and Blanche McDonald
have been collecting donations of skin care, makeup, nail, dental, body,
and hair care products to fill the stockings with. Other donations
include gloves and toques.
Beauty Night is excited to include Knit Fit as part of the festivities.
Founded five years ago by Laura Mah at the tender age of 11, Knit Fit
has been teaching youth to knit and Beauty Night Clients reap the
benefit. On December 15th, 16 year old Mah and her cohorts will be
handing out hand knit scarves to the Beauty Night Clients.
Beauty Night Birthday party will also be making spirits bright for both
volunteers and their makeover subjects with Christmas movies and other
Xmas goodies.
For more information about donating product, snacks or money, please
contact Caroline MacGillivray at 778-885-4526. Media welcome. Beauty
Night’s 6th annual stocking drive will be collecting new hair, nail,
skincare, dental care, gloves and socks before December 14th.
