Archive for October, 2009

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.

October has been a wonderful kick-off month for our children’s programming!

Programming runs Monday and Wednesday nights, from 6:30-8:30pm, with diverse activities for the children of Beauty Night and Womyn’s Gym participants. We’re really excited about all the fun stuff (face-painting, costume-making…) that we’re going to get to do for Halloween. We also have some great new volunteers, and will be running volunteer training soon!

We are going to be adding a Tuesday program at the end of the month, with the goal of working towards programming Monday-Thursday by the end of the year. Tuesday night is Stroller Disco with Caroline, and we are going to be adding on a Mom and Tot nutrition and cooking class that will follow right after! More details on this class next week!

We are currently looking for craft supplies for the KidzCare program, as well as food donations for our nutrition and cooking class. We are also still looking for KidzCare volunteers - if you like working with children and have a few hours each week, this might be the way for you to get involved in Beauty Night! Please send an email to [email protected] if you have any donations, or are interested in volunteering.

-Alexa Bennett Fox

Behind each Beauty Night Society (BNS) Program, there is a fantastic program coordinator. Without these ladies, our programs would not benefit our communities through the vast diversity. Each program offers a piece of the body/mind/spirit puzzle that many of us struggle with. Each program coordinator is a leader in her own right and inspires our participants and volunteers.

Tyla Flexman
Womyn’s Gym Program Coordinator

Tyla Flexman is a recent kinesiology graduate of the University of British Columbia. She is very interested in the health and fitness field and is a personal trainer as well as a community field hockey coach. Tyla has six years of coaching experience including coaching high school sports, development camps and provincial high performance teams. Her hardworking attitude and determination is what makes her a positive role model for young athletes in the community. She is a strong advocator of women in sport and strives to encourage female participation in exercise. She began volunteering for the Beauty Night Society in 2008 and is now the program coordinator for the Womyns Gym Program. She currently plays on the Canadian Women’s National Field Hockey team and was the 2008 recipient of the Gail Wilson Award, given to a female varsity athlete displaying leadership on the field and in the community. Tyla is excited to be a part of The Beauty Night Society and hopes to run the Sun Run this year with Womyns Gym clients!

Alexa Fox
Kid’s Club Program Co-coordinator
Mom & Tot Nutrition Program Co-coordinator

Christie Gray
Mom & Tot Nutrition Program Co –coordinator

Christie Gray has been a Vancouver resident for a year and a half. With a strong belief in helping people reach their potential and feel good about themselves, Christie finds Beauty Night Society(BNS) a great place to help make a difference. Christie is a Registered Natural Health Care practitioner with a love of cooking and formulating healthy, nutritious recipes. Christie believes that there is a strong connection between eating well and health in mind, body and spirit and hopes to help more people understand that connection through her work with BNS.

Sophia Hughes
Kid’s Club Program Co-coordinator

Caroline MacGillivray
Group Fitness Program Coordinator

Laura Mah
Knit Fit Program Coordinator & Founder

Laura Mah is currently in her final year of high school at Vancouver Technical Secondary. In 2004, Laura was strongly inspired by her cousin and the Founder of Beauty Night Society, Caroline MacGillivray, and created a knitting club at her elementary school. Now known as Knit Fit, this small group has transformed into a diverse program made up of individuals from all around Vancouver. The goal of Knit Fit is to knit scarves for the homeless and less fortunate people of Vancouver’s Downtown East Side and at the same time, to teach people the importance of giving back to our community through a fun new skill and hobby. This year, Knit Fit has expanded to elementary and high school. Six schools in Vancouver have been involved in Knit Fit so far. Every year, Knit Fit hands out scarves at Beauty Night Society’s annual Christmas Stocking Drive event, and we are in highly anticipating this year’s event! Laura cannot wait to see what Knit Fit has in store for the future. Laura is also largely involved at Vancouver Technical Secondary, and has served on the Student Council for the last 5 years; this year, serving at the council’s President.

Tiffany Telford
Makeover Program Facilitator (Vancouver)

This Blanche MacDonald Make up Program graduate started volunteering for Beauty Night’s makeover program in February 2008. She had just moved to Vancouver and was looking for a volunteer opportunity and “loved it”. Tiffany loved it so much in December 2008, she brought Beauty Night to her home town. She facilitated a Christmas make over night in Prince George. When she came back to Vancouver, Tiffany became Beauty Night’s Outreach facilitator. Since May 2009, Tiffany facilitates our makeover program events on a weekly basis. Her fresh innovative ideas help strengthen participant relations, volunteer coordination and creating posters for our events. When she is not at Beauty Night, this makeup artist works on film and television projects shooting in Vancouver.

Saafi Warsame
Makeover Program Facilitator (Toronto)

Saafi has recently relocated from Vancouver and is helping facilitate Beauty
Night events in her new city of Toronto. She truly enjoys interacting with
Beauty Night participants, from sharing life stories to discussing the best way to apply nail polish. Saafi is also a volunteer with North York Women’s shelter as well as a couple of organizations that run in the Somali
community. In her spare time, she reads a lot and is looking to become a
lawyer.

Sometimes it’s hard to find the right words to write and express how you feel. Sometimes, someone has said it better. Here are some wise words to ponder while thinking about what it is, at the core, that Beauty Night does for our clients.

Confucius - “Everything has its beauty, but not everyone sees it”

Sophia Loren - “Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical.”

What do you think? What is beautiful to you?

Whenever we can take our Beauty Night participants on an excursion out of the city, we do. We are excited to take them to the Model’s of Inspiration Filmathon held at Douglas College on October 24th from 10 -5pm.

This transpired when I saw Under One Red Sky at VIFF on Sunday. During the panel discussion with Christine MacDonell and Petal’s Nick Karras, Christine mentioned the upcoming film festival. Before leaving the event, I asked her if we could bring some of the women to the event. Moira Simpson and Christine agreed.

When we worked on Eve Ensler’s the Good Book and The Vagina Monologues during our literacy program, I discovered the women did not feel as marginalized as we read about issues women around the world deal with. The participants enjoyed hearing about different solutions from different areas around the globe to sexual exploitation, violence, poverty and how to empower people to make positive life style changes.

Models of Inspiration is a great way to educate yet empower women. The procees from this event are for Rose Remembering the Sisters Everywhere Web Project.
Here is some more information for this fantastic event:

PLEASE JOIN MODELS OF INSPIRATION!

RESERVE A SEAT and lend your support to the work of ROSE, the Remember Our Sisters Everywhere website project. Funds raised at the filmathon will go towards the creative process and public event being planning for the 20th anniversary of December 6th, Canada’s National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

Can’t reserve a seat? For those who want to see the films and be inspired by the speakers and their stories, drop in anytime during the day. Come see the amazing feature film! Donations gratefully accepted.

October 24, 2009
10:30am to 4:00pm
Room 2203, Douglas College
700 Royal Avenue
New Westminster, BC, Canada
Refreshments and lunch provided

10:30am Meet and greet with coffee and muffins
11:00am The Women’s Kingdom, a documentary by Xiaoli Zhou about the keepers of one of the last matriarchal societies, in a remote area of southwest China.
11:30am Performance artist Margaret Dragu is LADY JUSTICE: “Mature but not old; Lady Justice is without question the world’s most ubiquitous artist model!…”
12:00pm Lunch provided
12:45pm Your Mother Should Know, a documentary by Peg Campbell. A viscerally personal film that resonates with the passion and the helpless suffusing love that overwhelms almost every mother.
1:15pm Under One Sky, a documentary by Christine McDowell and Moira Simpson. At a women’s martial arts camp on the BC coast, women from all over North America explore an extraordinary range of martial arts. They fight collaboratively; and through their discipline, strength, joyfulness and sheer determination, it becomes evident they are on a journey of self-discovery.
1:45pm Anita Roberts of Safeteen International will speak of her ground breaking programs including her origins and where Safeteen is today.
2:15pm Break

FEATURE FILM
2:30pm Iron Ladies of Liberia, a feature length documentary about newly inaugurated President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf – the first freely elected female head of state in Africa. Having won a hotly contested election with the overwhelming support of women across Liberia, Sirleaf faces the daunting task of lifting her country from debt and devastation. She turns to a remarkable team of women, appointing them in positions such as police chief, finance minister, minister of justice, commerce minister and minister of gender. By Siatta Scott Johnson/Daniel Junge.

ROSE has applied to the BC 150 Volunteer Incentive Program. If approved, for each person who volunteers 5 hours time towards this event, including sitting watching the films, the ROSE website project will receive $50.

Seatholder Prize:
An Electra, 3-speed, back-pedal-to-brake, cool and unusual bicycle will be given to the seatholder who raises the most funds!

Door prizes:
Finding Dawn, a feature documentary directed by Christine Welsh
(Thank you to Olga Kempo)
Your Mother Should Know, a documentary directed by Peg Campbell
(Thank you to Peg Campbell)
Under One Sky, a documentary directed by Christine McDowell
(Thank you to Moira Simpson and Chris McDowell)
From Under the Bushy Trees, a documentary directed by Moira Simpson and Jan Padgett
(Thank you to Jan and Moira)
Safeteen: Powerful Alternatives to Violence written by Anita Roberts
(Thank you to Anita Roberts)
The Body Song CD, Performer/Producer Yvette Narlock
(Thank you to Anita Roberts)

Please contact: [email protected]
Or call Lindsay @ 604-314-9034

It’s that time of year for Canadians where we gather with our family and friends and reflect upon what we are thankful for. This is the time to acknowledge the positive aspects and influences in your life.

Beauty Night Society has many wonderful people to thank, for honestly without your support we wouldn’t be here. I am also going to give a huge thank you to Caroline for all of her very hard work, dedication and the love she puts into the organization. Iam thankful for being able to work with our wonderful clients and see just how thankful someone can be for something as simple as a hair cut. It reminds me of just how lucky I really am, and that everyone can make a difference.

What it is that you are thankful for?

Beauty Night Board Member Dave Dickson’s article about Cut off Supply of Kids is in today’s Province Newspaper. For those of you who wonder what we can do to help in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side, Dave shares his highly informed opinion.

We’ve started up Womyn’s Gym programming. The program is very engaging and promises to help our clients achieve some great goals.
Next week we will be starting yoga classes as well.

We are still looking for more fabric and yarn, sewers and knitters for our stocking drive. Please email [email protected] if you are able to help!

Thank you everyone for your continued support

On September 27 Knit Fit held its first meeting for the school year. We had a great turnout, with participants from all over the Vancouver area. Surprisingly, the participants that came out last week were mainly boys. KUDOS to the male knitters! The room was packed with excited volunteers, ready with needles and yarn in hand. Shout out to Chief Maquinna Elementary who have already knitted 260 scarves!

New volunteers are always welcome. Don’t know how to knit? Come to an orientation! Our next one is being held Sunday, October 4 at Britannia Community Centre at 1pm.

With everything just starting to jump into gear, Knit Fit has expectations to create a warm winter for everyone.

Britannia Community Centre:

1661 Napier Street Vancouver, BC