"Who Gives....East Gwillimbury?" A makeover for a deserving women

Who Gives………East Gwillimbury?

Blair (the owner of The Bulletin Magazine ) told me that October magazine is the East Gwillimbury women in business issue. He asked me to focus this month’s Who Gives….East Gwillimbury on a local woman.  The timing couldn’t be better for this story, about a deserving woman and the businesses that got together to give her an experience of a lifetime. 

On March 8^th International Women Day Tangles teamed up with other local businesses and hosted a contest. I was inspired by one of my role models Jessica Mulroney who was also doing a makeover for deserving women. I thought how great it would be to do something similar for a woman in East Gwillimbury. 

The contest was posted on Instagram and Facebook calling for people to vote for a deserving woman in our community who gives back and deserves a makeover.  We had over 25 very deserving women nominated for various reasons, such as volunteering and community initiatives.  

It was a pleasure reading the stories of incredible women in our community.

One story stood out and we selected our winner Krystal C.  Her neighbour and good friend Vanessa nominated her. In the email Vanessa wrote “ Krystal deserved a makeover because she is a busy mom with an autistic child and still manages to volunteer. She always has time for the less fortunate or anyone needing a helping hand. If anyone ever deserves a makeover its Krystal! Vanessa describes Krystal as an amazing person who always helps others in every way she can. 

Krystal calls Queensville home and grew up in this area where she lives with her husband and 3 children 13,6 and almost a 1 year old.  She is a mentor with Children’s Treatment Network for families with a child who has special needs such as autism in York Region. She enjoys raising funds and awareness for the Peaceful Hearts Foundation. ( Peacefulhearts.ca) with their Butter Tart Festival. Peaceful Hearts is a not for-profit organization that helps support special needs individuals aged 6-29. Krystal told me they have a beautiful environment; they help maintain the quality of life of the “peaceful hearts” that use their services. They offer activities that promote social connections, independence and community involvement. Krystal is a school bus driver in York Region to me this is an essential service for working moms and dads.

When Krystal was notified she won the makeover she was super excited. She had never won any big prizes before. The last time she had a haircut was in 2016 just after she got married. The makeover prize included hair colour, cut and style, manicure, pedicure, facial, eyelash extensions, makeup application, a complete outfit, a style session, a photo shoot, and  5 pass yoga class. We had initially scheduled Krystal in to start her makeover on March 19, I think you may know what I’m about to say next. I had to make the unpleasant phone call to cancel her appointments due to the Covid closure.  On September 23 we finally got to reschedule the makeover and  photo shoot! Let me tell you it was an amazing experience for everyone involved. Krystal didn’t just have a little trim she cut over 2 Feet of hair off and did a stunning candy floss hair colour!  

This makeover contest was put together in a mere few days back in March. I reached out to a few friends and local connections of women in business and everyone was happy to help out to put an incredible makeover prize together. The Makeover was our way of saying thank you to Krystal for all her giving back and treating her to a special day of pampering and relaxing.

All of the beauty services were done at my salon Tangles Hair Salon & Spa in Holland Landing.(tanglessalon.ca)  Tangles believes in giving back to the community so this makeover was extra special for us. Her hair services were performed by our newest Tangles Team member Stephanie. She is a Lead Hair Designer her specialty is personalized hair colours and cuts. If you ever sit at Stephanie station you will never leave bored of your hair. When Krystal first showed me her inspiration photo I knew Stephanie was a perfect stylist for this makeover.  Megan is Tangles Spa aesthetician and her calming personality was just what Krystal needed to relax and unwind. Megan specializes in eyelash extensions and placed top 10 at the World Eyelash Championships in Paris. Krystal got to try out eyelash extensions, a service she had never had before. This service will really help her save time in the morning beauty routine.

The first person I called when brainstorming how we could pull off a makeover contest in a short time frame was Courtney from Real House Wive Of York Region. Courtney is a true mental health advocate and she is a constantly supporting woman in our community. She also has a passion for fashion and she loves the York Region community. She was so excited to be a part of this collaboration and honoured to be a part of the style session at Style Encore. Courtney helped promote the contest and select the deserving women. You can find her on Instagram #realhousewiveofyorkregion

Style Encore is located in Aurora. It is a resale store that purchases and sells the hottest name brand styles of gently used women’s clothing, accessories, shoes and handbags. Their customers promote sustainable and eco-friendly lifestyles.  I have visited and shopped online from there Instagram page #styleencoreaurora. Krystal met Courtney at Style Encore and they had a great time trying on multiple outfits. They selected a navy-blue dress, a flower necklace and brown suede boots that worked perfect with her fun new hair colour.

Kim Mortson is the owner of Body Design in Mount Albert ( Bodydesign.ca). She is consistently giving back to the community. Kim and I have worked on many community projects and it's always a pleasure working with her. She has always been a positive influence and role model for me. I called Kim and asked if she would like to participate in the makeover and she instantly agreed to yoga classes. How perfect to get fitness and relaxing time for someone who is always spending her time helping others.  It was a little tricky for us to schedule all of Krystal appointments with her busy life. Currently most Body Design classes are virtual so that works well for a busy schedule.  

Last but definitely not least the photo shoot with Savvy Co Photography located in Holland Landing. You can see her other work on Instagram #Savvyco.photography. The photoshoot took place  at Krystal home in Queensville, I heard a few turkeys didn’t want to be left out of the excitement and joined in for a photo or 2. I am so thrilled with how the photos turned out, Hyla the gifted owner/photographer has a special gift to be able to freeze a moment in time, leaving you with memories to cherish forever. 

Krystal said the whole experience was excellent, not something she ever would have done for herself. She had some laughs and got some much-needed pampering.  This was a special opportunity to recognize a woman who goes above and beyond for others and would otherwise not be noticed as a true hero in our community.  Thank you so much to all the business that contributed to this special makeover. This is definitely a photoshoot I will never forget. This makeover was such a tremendous success I would like to be able to do it again next year, for other deserving women in our community.  Stay tuned

Do you have a give back story from East Gwillimbury? Is there a silent hero that deserves to have their story told? Is there a community group or business doing a fundraiser or an individual donating their time?? I want to hear all the give back stories in our community email who.gives.eg@gmail.com

SHARON