A little pampering can go a long way to making a woman feel better about herself.
Ladies at Randy Sams' Outreach Shelter, and a few who recently moved out of the shelter, were treated to a spa day thanks to the generosity of the community.
Hair and nails were done at Texarkana College Cosmetology School. The Beauty and Wellness Center gave them facials, and Vision4Less donated free eye exams and glasses to women who need them. They had lunch at Twisted Fork, picked out clothes at First United Methodist Church of Texarkana, Texas, had professional pictures made by Jennifer Futrell Photography and ended the day with afternoon tea at the Collins Home operated by HandsOn Texarkana.
Debbie Owens, who recently moved out of the shelter, enjoyed the day.
"They've shown generosity and love everywhere we've been," Owens said. "No one has made us feel less than. Everywhere we've been I've felt like the most important person there."
Owens was addicted to drugs for 37 years but has been sober for six months and is about to start looking for a job. She said the spa day will help her be more confident as she goes through that process.
"Monday I'm going to start looking for a job, and I'm really nervous. I want to look presentable," Owens said.
She's thankful for the spa day and also for what the shelter has meant to her life.
"Randy Sams' wasn't just a shelter for me. It gave me a life," Owens said.
Jakela Warren couldn't hide the smile on her face as she looked for clothing at the church with her hair in a perfect up-do.
"Today made me feel real good," Warren said. "I've had some depression, and I've been down and out, but yesterday I got a new place to stay, and today was even better. I thank the people at Randy Sams'. They're very special people."
The spa day was the brainchild of Julie Collins, shelter board member. She saw a video about a similar event on Facebook and decided to reach out to people in Texarkana and see if they could make it happen for the ladies at the shelter.
The response was tremendous.
"We've gotten enough support to cover this entire day and extra for the next time we do it," Collins said. "It's something people can wrap their hearts and arms around. I've been crying in joy all day long. To hear their delight has been wonderful. We've had a blast. This has been so much fun."
Many of the ladies who participated in the event are looking for jobs, and confidence is important when someone is trying to find a job.
"It gives everyone a real boost of self-esteem and lets you feel special for the day," said Jennifer Laurent, Randy Sams' executive director. "Everyone likes to feel like they've been pampered a little. We're just grateful to the community for making this possible and making the shelter possible. We've had 20 years of providing services, and every day is just a little better than the one before."
Randy Sams' Outreach Shelter is an emergency shelter that houses between 75 and 80 people a night. To date, more than 1,100 shelter clients have transitioned to permanent housing, and more than 12,000 community clients have received utility assistance, rental assistance and food baskets.