Mark and I were pretty exhausted when we arrived so we went
right to bed. I know, lame. Especially since I’ve probably only
been to the city half a dozen times in my life, but when you’re tired… you’re
tired! And I had a photo shoot
coming up so I quite literally needed my beauty sleep!
In the morning we all gathered in the lobby before heading
off to breakfast. This was the
first time I was able to meet Rebecca Stanley, Carrie Severson, and Rachel
Doyle (all founders of the non-profits which they pour their hearts and souls
into every day), although I had done my research on each of them and already
saw each of them as a huge inspiration!
Quick little info…
Rebecca Stanley is an amazing mom of two beautiful young
children who you can instantly tell has a sincere heart filled with compassion
and love. (The main quote on her
Facebook page is “Giving can help rescue them from poverty, but it
has also rescued me from wealth.” – Yup, definitely a soul sister of mine!) Becca and her husband Adam moved to the
ghetto in Atlanta about a year ago after they realized that they could
more effectively provide positive role models for children living in poverty if
they lived on their street and in their neighborhood. They quite literally purchased a crack house and during the
first few months when Adam and his father were renovating the house, they would
have to kindly ask the prostitutes and drug dealers to step off the premises so
they could do their work. During
the time of renovation, Adam got to know many of the local families and he
feels that the respect he was able to show for the local people early on has
provided for the safety that he and is family now feel living in that neighborhood. Becca shared a story from the first
week they lived in the house… she met a little boy down the street and invited
him over for game night the following night. That night came and a knock was heard at the door. Becca opened it and found six kids with
big eager smiles on their faces, “We’ve come for game night!” Of course she
welcomed them right in! The local
kids can be found at Becca and Adam’s house nearly every night of the week
(except Mondays – that’s “Family Day” and the kids know that they aren’t to
interrupt the Stanley household unless it’s an emergency)… eating dinner, doing
homework, playing spoons and other fun games during “family game night” (the
local kids dubbed it that), or throwing a football around with Adam. They even took one of the boys they’ve
been mentoring for six years, to Florida with them for their family vacation a
couple weeks ago! These people
don’t just talk the talk… they truly walk the walk! Becca and Adam started an organization called Blueprint 58. As their Facebook page says, “Blueprint 58 is a non-profit mentoring program dedicated to
restoring and transforming the Atlanta communities of Adair Park and
Pittsburgh. Because we firmly believe that transformation most readily occurs
within the context of relationship, one-on-one mentoring relationships are the
core of our ministry.” They don’t
have a website and not much of a budget at the moment… as Becca said, she and
Adam would much rather be doing the hands on work with the kids than doing the
fundraising… but it is certainly a worthwhile organization and a concept that
they hope to keep simple enough for other communities to replicate. Becca’s blog is the best place to keep
up with the family and the work that they do. http://thestanleyclan.blogspot.com/ Plus she’s hilarious and she posts amazing photos – yup, she’s a
photographer too! Becca and Adam
have been through what most people would call hell during the last 8 months. Their little guy was born with a heart
defect and had to have open-heart surgery five days after he was born. Caden is doing well now, although he
will have to have a number of surgeries during his life; and Becca and Adam
both shared that while they wouldn’t wish that horrific experience on anyone,
it did bring them closer together and made them stronger people. Yup, they are basically my heroes. I couldn’t get enough of listening to
the two of them talk about their life.
Not only that but they’re my age and totally the kind of people who I
know Mark and I would be best friends with if they lived nearby (Mark loved
them too!). It’s too bad Atlanta
is so dang far from Lake Placid!
We’ll just try to do our best to keep in touch and hope that our paths
cross again soon. There’s a reason
we were both in this photo shoot… no doubt!
Carrie Severson is an amazingly strong woman
from Phoenix, Arizona. Carrie and
I had exchanged numerous emails during the weeks leading up to the shoot and I
knew she was as excited for this experience as I was! The non-profit that Carrie founded called Severson Sisters,
is very personal and important to Carrie.
Having lived through many of the terrible things that far too many
elementary, middle (especially middle) and high school students have to deal
with in terms of bullying and hazing, Carrie was able to turn her negative
experiences into an opportunity to help others. Severson Sisters is a bullying solutions and self-compassion
non-profit for girls of all ages. The organization uses creative arts as a tool
for girls to express themselves while building self-esteem and developing
friendships with other girls their age.
They incorporate a bullying solution method into the creative objective. What an important organization!! I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t
go back to middle school for anything.
When I look back at my life, those were some of my darkest days… filled
with doing anything possible to try to fit and not get picked on, and losing
myself in the process.
Unfortunately this is a huge issue for young people all across our
country and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Programs like Carrie’s can help young people (specifically
girls) to gain the self-confidence and self-love they need to not only survive
middle and high school, but to move out into the world as self-assured,
wonderful, authentic, loving individuals!
And that’s exactly what Carrie has done! This super girl is in conversations with the producers of
the Ellen DeGeneres show!! Talk about a go-getter!! I’m super psyched for Carrie and all
that she has before her! The sky
is the limit girl – go do it! If
you’d like to learn more about Carrie and her organization you can visit
Severson Sisters on Facebook or check out their website www.seversonsisters.org
Lastly, I met Rachel Doyle. There’s no doubt why Rachel was chosen
to be featured in the Sally Hansen “The Best of You” contest. While in
high school, Rachel’s grandmother passed away and her influence inspired Rachel
to start a make-over program with women living in senior homes. The program grew from there and while
in college, Rachel founded the organization GlamourGals. This non-profit, driven by Rachel,
inspires and organizes teen girls to make change in their communities. Each
month their over 60 local chapters (throughout 13 states across the country) volunteer
time with women living in senior homes and provide their signature program of
complimentary facials and makeovers.
They make women feel beautiful and good about themselves right up to
their last day on this earth.
Again, such great work!
Rachel has been featured on all sorts of TV programs and in articles in
magazines too numerous to mention here. She is only in her late 20s and she’s already accomplished
more than most people accomplish in their lifetime. She truly is a determined and focused woman and I am happy
that I met her! You can learn more
about Rachel’s organization by visiting the GlamourGals on Facebook or by
checking out their website www.glamourgals.org
Oops, apparently I don't have a picture of just Rachel. Here she is getting a make-over.
I know I said I was only going to give “quick
little info” but you know me! I’m
sure you can see why I feel honored to be featured in a magazine alongside
these amazing women!!! Such
inspiring people! I am blessed to
have met each of them!
To continue with my story (because I know you’re
all dying to hear the rest)… We ate a delicious breakfast that morning with
Lorraine Nunez and Kerri Kivlan – both beauty merchandising managers with Glamour. Mark and Adam (Becca’s husband) really bonded and we were all
able to share our stories and get to know each other. Then we were off to The Town House Spa for a day of
pampering! (Yes, the guys quickly
disappeared… Mark went back to the hotel to do some computer work and Adam went
off to explore the city – his first time in NYC!) Rachel and I headed into the pedicure area first. You may be surprised (or perhaps not)
to know that I’ve never had a pedicure in my life. I must admit that I was initially a bit self-conscious about
having a stranger “work on” my feet but that lasted about 2 seconds… ahhhhh… so
relaxing! I didn’t even care if
they put polish on my nails… the massage was where it was at!! Plus I was seated in a massage chair
with a goblet of lemon/cucumber water in my hand… yup, I felt glamorous!
After the pedicure I headed upstairs for my hair
cut. I had the option of a cut or
a dye and I chose a cut because, well, I guess I’m not that adventurous. I’ve only had my hair dyed once… for a
musical I was in during my senior year of high school… and I really have no
desire to do it again. I’ve been
blessed with natural highlights, what can I say?! :)
A really nice Russian guy went to work on my
hair. Quickest haircut I think
I’ve ever had. Either he really
knows what he’s doing or he did a crappy job… you guess! Then he did a blowout. If I hadn’t put a call out on Facebook
for some beauty advice before I headed to NYC, I wouldn’t have known what a
blowout was. And as it was, he
didn’t ask what I wanted, he just kind of did it; but I loved it! So for those of you, like me, who don’t
know what a blowout is… it’s a form of straightening hair using a round brush
and a hair dryer. I’m honestly not
sure how it works exactly, but it did! When he finished my hair was straight
with just a slight curl on the end.
It was incredibly smooth and not frizzy at all… a miracle! It also almost looked like I had
bangs. Anyway, very cool and a lot
of fun!
I was the first to have my make-up done and the
man who did that did a wonderful job as well. He really seemed to catch on to the fact that I don’t wear
much make-up and I like the natural look.
Unlike other times when I’ve had to have make-up for a wedding or
something, he didn’t make it look like I was “made-up.” Again, quite the professional!
When I got back to the hotel room I took pictures of myself in the mirror because I really liked my hair. Don't mind the poor lighting.
The next couple hours were spent chatting with
Becca, Carrie, and Rachel as they completed their beautification process. I enjoyed a delicious salad – yes, this
spa has a little restaurant in it – and relaxed for a bit. After everyone was all “done up,” Carrie,
Becca, and I had a glass of wine with Lorraine and Maria Marino, an advertising
manager at Glamour and Conde
Nast. Looking back on the couple
of days, this was one of my favorite times of the whole experience. It was really nice for each of us to be
able to share our story and talk openly about our experiences, with everyone at
the table fully engrossed in what we were saying. It was obvious to me that Carrie and Becca are both
immensely passionate about their work but it’s nice to also feel their support
for mine. I hope they feel my
support as well! I loved not
feeling like we were competing for the ear of these corporate women, but rather
sharing our passion with other strong individuals. There was some serious “women power” around that table! It was also nice to hear Maria say that
she needs to start doing more for others.
Of course our intention is not to guilt others into doing more; but
rather, to help them to see the joy that it brings us and hopefully inspire
them to reach out. Based on the
conversation, it sounds like Maria will do just that! Deciding on the nail polish for the season just isn’t
filling her soul. :)
We were taken back to the hotel late that
afternoon for a bit of a rest before our dinner reservations at Rouge et Blanc
at 7pm. I was so high on life
about my first pedicure, my amazing hair, and the great conversation that we
had just had, that I hardly noticed Mark was lying in bed gripping his stomach
with a forced smile on his face.
When I finally came down from my cloud I realized that he wasn’t feeling
well, at all. Needless to say, I
headed off to the restaurant solo that evening while he stayed in the room and
fought with what was either food poisoning or an awful 24-hour stomach bug…
poor guy!
Dinner at Rouge et Blanc was wonderful! I am a person who can eat just about
anything and be satisfied (my motto is “food is food”) but Mark, on the other
hand, appreciates good food.
I was bummed he missed out on that experience. Rouge et Blanc is a Vietnamese/French restaurant, needless
to say, there were some very interesting things on the menu! Carrie’s friend was the chef so that’s
how we found out about the place and it really was perfect. The six of us (Carrie, her mother,
Becca, Adam, Rachel, and I) enjoyed octopus (that was my pick!), quail (with a
quail egg on top – so good!), and lobster with vegetable noodles, among other
things. The food was incredible! (Definitely not “just food.”) And the company was wonderful as
well! A great night had by all! Except maybe Mark… he still wasn’t
doing so well when I returned to the hotel. :(
Becca may look a little nervous about eating this whole shrimp (eyes, antennae and everything), but she did and she even said they were good!
Once again I headed to bed rather quickly
because this was the night I REALLY needed my beauty sleep… the photo shoot was
the next day!! However, before
heading to bed I did take pictures of myself in the mirror and Mark even sat up
to take one of me as well. I
really didn’t want to fall asleep and lose my beautiful hair-do! Ridiculous, I know!
Okay, I'm impressed you got to this point. I'm going to give your eyes a little break and post the rest (the photo shoot!) tomorrow. Thank you for reading!
Girl you are just the sweetest. Thank you so much for being you - the work you do, your encouraging words, your relationship with Mark, just who you are is so beautiful and it was an honor to get to hang out for a few days! :-) We will definitely keep in touch and you know you're welcome at our house in the hood anyday! :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are a true inspiration Becca! Thank YOU for being YOU! Keep up the amazing work and know that you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers! Please know that you're welcome in the Adirondacks anytime too! We'd love to have you!
ReplyDelete