One day each summer, Watermark volunteers, as well as health, beauty and nutrition professionals work together for a very special purpose: encouraging, pampering and sharing hope with women in need. The event is GLOW: A Day of Beauty, offering women an opportunity to talk with professionals about health and nutrition; have their hair cut, colored and styled; receive manicures, facials, massages; and have their makeup done.
But, GLOW is much more than a day of pampering for women served by our partner ministries throughout the city. “GLOW is an opportunity to share what Christ has done in your life with women who need hope,” said hairstylist Paul Schmidth who has led the GLOW team for several years along with his wife, Tiffany. “The women we serve at GLOW come from all walks of life. Some have been homeless, others have struggled with addiction, or are trying to build a better life on very little income. Whether it’s a warm greeting at the door, a new haircut or having someone pray with them, we want the women at GLOW to experience God’s care for them through our actions and words.”
The women at GLOW will be from ministries where Watermark members have been building relationships all year long. Those organizations include Cornerstone/South Dallas, Exodus Ministries and Center of Hope – all ministries that share the hope of Christ and help women put their lives back together. GLOW is an opportunity to provide personal care for women in a way many have never experienced.
Melanie, a GLOW participant in 2012, said that the event gave her much more than a pretty haircut. “I had a relapse with alcohol a while back,” said Melanie. “I was homeless for about three months. When I went to rehab, I finally realized I couldn’t live in sobriety without Christ. He helped me get rid of my false idol: me.
“Being at GLOW was really overwhelming. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a hair cut. The people here also made me feel respected and not looked down upon. You don’t get that on the streets. It feels like God’s love is being bestowed on me today,” Melanie said.
Hairstylists and beauty professionals are a big part of making GLOW happen each year. But there are other needs as well, including volunteers to host our guests for the day and make them feel at home. There are also opportunities to help with nutrition classes, makeup application, massage, manicures, and pastoral care.
Paul Schmidth says GLOW represents an opportunity to encourage those in the beauty and personal care industry as well. “Dozens of beauty professionals serve at GLOW, and many are not part of Watermark or any other body of believers. As those beauty professionals interact with clients and volunteers, they get an opportunity to see the love of Christ ‘in action’. I don’t think anyone leaves GLOW without being encouraged. It really is an amazing day where God’s name is glorified in a really fun and beautiful way. I hope many people in our body will join us.”
WHERE WE NEED YOUR HELP
Volunteers and community groups are needed for:
- hospitality and greeting;
- hosting the guests throughout the day;
- set up and clean up.
- Beauty, health and nutrition professionals are needed to:
- shampoo, cut, color, and style hair;
- apply makeup;
- give manicures;
- provide facials, and massages.
This article, first printed in the Watermark News, references the Glow event from 2013. If you are interested in participating in Glow, new details should be available at watermark.org/glow or by contacting externalfocus@watermark.org.