House of Ruth DC: Salon Day

HOUSE OF RUTH SALON DAY

The staff at the House of Ruth send their sincere gratitude to the brothers of Mu Lambda Chapter for sponsoring the “Let’s Get Beautified” event.

The event was supported solely through donations from the brothers of Mu Lambda Chapter and has not gone unnoticed. Seteria Hollinshed, Program Manager – Single Site Based Programs, states “Thank you once again for taking care of my ladies on Tuesday and Wednesday!”

An African American female owned business, Unique Looks, located at 2323 Shadyside Road in Suitland, Maryland, provided the services. Brothers, you may not realize the measure of the task that you have accomplished. Please take a moment and speak with any person in your circle that frequents a hair salon and they will share with you the magnitude of your accomplishment and contribution to the women.

Unique Looks’ manager, Latoya Burch, set aside two days (Tuesday, May 17th and Wednesday, May 18th) to service approximately 25 women from the House of Ruth. Thanks to your donations, the salon was dedicated to the ladies for a private fourhour session each day. The staff at Unique Looks rolled out the red carpet for the ladies. They treated them with dignity and respect. It was truly a vibe of a village coming together to service the ladies. To make it affordable, the salon cut its prices in the spirit of community service.

All services included washing and blow drying. The ladies were able to select from seven proposed hair styles: two strand twist (natural); loc maintenance and style; press and curl; natural cornrows; feed-ins; short haircut; or jumbo braids (including the hair).

The ladies were transported in a 12 passenger chartered van each day. They were picked up at 9 am for their day at the salon and transported back at 2 pm. Mu Lambda Chapter purchased lunch both days from Mu Lambda Chapter, Brother Malcolm Carter’s Branch Avenue location. The salon owner’s husband allowed use of a separate banquet area where the ladies were served pizza and beverages at the conclusion of their styling.

To protect the identity of the ladies, all photographs of the ladies have been blurred. A few of the ladies also provided quotes about their experience. “When you look good, you feel good.” “This is a real self-esteem builder for us.” “I remember the men of Alpha Phi Alpha. I still have the nice robe the men gave us.” “I remember the men cooking for us and bringing us fresh flowers.” “Please tell the Alphas that we really appreciate them.”

The ladies are looking forward to our meal service in June. Keep up the good work.

By Brother Eddie Neal