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Nearly 200 women from D.C. and Maryland danced the day away on Thursday at a community center in Prince George’s County.
For them, Mother’s Day came early this year thanks to Anew Inspired Change, a nonprofit based in Maryland that hosted its 15th annual pamper party for women struggling with homelessness and drug addiction, among other hardships.
“It’s really uplifting,” said Brianna Hundertmark, who lives at Hilda’s Place, a drug recovery facility in Carroll County, Maryland. “I got to sleep in late.”
Volunteers treat the women to manicures, pedicures, new hairstyles and massages.
But that’s not all, Hundertmark said. She relapsed two months ago and quickly joined the treatment program, leaving her 12-year-old son in his father’s care.
“I needed bras, so I got bras,” she told WTOP. “I needed clothes, and I got that. Because I came into the recovery house with nothing.”
That’s common for many of the women, said Porshia Everett, the organization’s founder and program director. She started the celebration 15 years ago as a picnic in a local park. The mom and former accountant got the idea after volunteering at several nonprofits for women.
Since then, it’s morphed into something much bigger.
“I would go and see the same ladies at different shelters,” she said. “I began engaging with them and at Mother’s Day, there was nothing for them. Every year, we use a different color scheme and theme.”
This year’s motif is: “She rocks Anew seed.”
Everett said it means women who are ready for a change, knowing that they’re supported because motherhood doesn’t end because of hardships.
“Some of them are in mental health facilities and in recovery from domestic violence,” she said. “They are still mothers. We look to embrace them and just treat them special all day. I want them to feel and be seen.”
Everett, who is also a nail technician, said pampering the women is key.
“They’re doing the work on the inside with the counseling, therapy,” she said. “But if you don’t look good on the outside — I don’t care what someone is telling you — you’re not going to feel good. I’m a woman and I enjoy that, and I know they do too.”