The annual Princess Party held on July 17, 2015 at Amherst House is Columbia, MD was a magical night for everyone. In addition to girls and young women in the care of Hearts & Homes for Youth, we invited some young women from Maryland Promise to join us for the party.
This party is one of our favorite events every year. The young ladies entered the event space, unsure of what would transpire. They were invited to pick out an outfit, get a facial, get their hair styled, get their nails painted, and have their makeup done. Then, the glamorous princesses entered the party with DJ Clinton playing some great music. The beautiful Miss Rhode Island called the girls over to join her and taught them how to walk down the runway, showing them different gestures and expressions, and encouraging them to express themselves. It warms our hearts to see the change that takes place from when the ladies first arrive, to their departure in their beautiful dresses and gowns, with bigger smiles and better posture. For this we are grateful to our volunteers and sponsors.
A number of volunteers including Miss Rhode Island United States Markita Bryant, Marines from Fort Meade, community members, a QED Group LLC volunteer, Mary Kay representatives, and other stylists helped us make the night very special for our young ladies. We are also grateful to Costco in Wheaton, which donated a sandwich platter for the girls and to Costo in Columbia, which also provided a sandwich platter. Our friends at Squisito’s in Burtonsville provided us with an exceptionally generous amount of delicious pizza! Harris Teeter in Kings Contrivance also gave us some gift certificates and prepared a beautiful princess cake for the party. We are also grateful to a special donor who gave us a $50 American Express gift card! The Corner Stable near Amherst House donated some tasty side dishes, which were quickly finished off.
Events and opportunities that provide young people with a new experience and help them realize their self worth and confidence could not happen often enough. There are many things we enjoy so often that we forget the immeasurable value of the experiences for our maturation, personal development, self-esteem, and general outlook on life. Unique experiences make a unique difference and can have a lasting impact.
We are looking forward to hosting our first event of the same kind for our young men on Friday, August 21st at the Kings of Style Party! Contact Vicki Valle, vicki@heartsandhomes.org if you would like to get involved!
The week of the project, Hearts & Homes staff members from our central office went to the group home to repair small dents in the walls and do some prep for the next day’s work. Then, on Friday and Saturday, a group of Marines stationed at Fort Meade came and painted the home for us. The Marines, their families, and Hearts & Homes staff members provided a total of 230 hours of labor. To put that in perspective, if a business was doing the job, that would have cost $10,350 just in labor. Paint would have been around $1,000, depending on brand/quality. Including supplies, the total cost would have been right around $12,000.
Today we delivered thank you card posters to BB&T, made by the youth in our group homes to express their gratitude for the Bash!
The Summer Bash & BBQ is part of BB&T’s Lighthouse Project, which is impacting a lot of people and a lot of organizations that are doing great things in the community. We are grateful to be one of the beneficiaries of their generosity!
