Streets Of Paradise With Showered And Empowered
Streets of Paradise teamed up with Showered and Empowered on April, 27 for the third time this year and offered a remarkably transformative day designed to bring showers directly to the streets. A warm, soothing shower magically restores dignity and self-worth for our friends living on the streets, and the benefits cannot be overstated.
Shower & Empower attendees were treated to hot showers in a mobile truck outfitted with a washer/dryer, followed by a sit-down breakfast of sandwiches donated by Wawa, professional haircuts, and an opportunity to partake in self-care massage therapy. For those living on the streets, their daily reality includes struggling to find running water, a bathroom, and a shower. Showered and Empowered served as a respite from a challenging daily existence. It was a delight to see smiling faces emerge from the shower truck feeling clean and invigorated with a sense of restored self-worth and dignity.
The Shower & Empower Event would not have been possible without Showered and Empowered’s very own Chrissy, a magnificent woman, filled with grace and grit. She casually shares that while on a leadership training trip in Guatemala she identified her own vision of adding dignity to the lives of those living on the streets. After prayer and contemplation, it occurred to her that a mobile shower truck fitted with a washer and dryer would fill an unmet need gap in homeless services; her bold vision became a reality in September 2018.
Bettina Phelps, a hair stylist for 46 years volunteered by providing free and stylish haircuts. Jerica King shared her massage therapy talents, offering demonstrations of foam rolling and therapy ball massage for attendees to enhance their blood circulation relieving painful muscle tension. Bill, a talented artist that has been living on the streets for three years, said, “My body hurts, living on the streets hurts, the massage felt really good.” A Streets of Paradise volunteer drove several attendees to the event, including an elderly man by the name of Randall who said, “I was stinking and you know it’s really bad when you smell yourself. I feel pretty good now, at least I got a great shower.”
Streets of Paradise is appreciative of a caring community that offered their time and support. Thank you to Black Nurses Rock for their generous donations of tote bags that will help our friends carry their belongings. HeyHoney donated beautiful reusable cosmetic bags filled with their high-end skincare products, which left many of our friends marveling, “Is this really for me to take?” Erin O’Connor assembled brown bags filled with feminine hygiene products because it occurred to her that access to these necessities is something that she along with most women take for granted. Bambi Lynn Porter donated much-needed clothing and canned goods for the event. Tooie Sinclair lovingly made 150 handmade soaps specifically for the event. It was a remarkable day of bringing joy to our friends that are disenfranchised living on the fringes.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.’ ~ Mahatma Gandhi.
