A day of pampering

About 10 years ago, Cindy Fraer and her husband, Richard, started working with the New York School of Urban Ministry, which hosts, trains and deploys volunteers by partnering with inner city pastors and churches in New York City. The Fraers help feed and provide services to the city’s homeless population, including serving meals, distributing backpacks of food for children to take home and providing free makeovers to women.
While they continue to travel to New York for training and to volunteer, the Avella couple wanted to help closer to home, so they started working with Living Ministry in Pittsburgh. Last year, Richard took a team of about 15 people to clean up an area where homeless people often sleep.

Cindy Fraer of Avella, right, and her husband, Richard, left, with a client of the New York School of Urban Ministry, which minsters to the city’s homeless population. The Fraers have worked with the ministry for about a decade and are bringing the concept of the ministry to Western Pennsylvania by creating a spa day for the women of Washington City Mission.
As the newly appointed outreach director of Brooke Hills Free Methodist Church in Wellsburg, W.Va., which is just over a mile from Independence Township in Washington County, Cindy’s first order of business was to organize a makeover event for the women of the Washington City Mission’s Avis Arbor shelter. Modeled after the New York School of Urban Ministry’s event, in which about 150 volunteers provide services for 800 women, the Masterpiece Makeover event will be day of pampering for about 20 women.
“The makeovers really encourages them and gives them self-esteem. It makes them feel better about themselves and makes them feel special,” said Cindy. “We really feel it will be a way for someone who has not had positive circumstances have something special done for them.”
On July 14, the women will get treatments at six stations in the mission’s chapel, including having their makeup applied, hair styled, manicures, pedicures and foot massages. Before the event, they will be able to select an outfit and personal care items from Dress For Success. After their makeovers, a professional photographer will take their photo.
About 20 volunteers from the church have signed up to help, and donations of new makeup and toiletries have started to come in from individuals and businesses. Rock Paper Scissors Salon in Wellsburg is providing stylists and products, and Bethany Montecalvo, a union makeup artist who works in TV and film, is also donating her time to be a part of the event. She said the women of Avis Arbor will get the same pampering as those she preps for films and commercials.
“My hope is that they will be in the presence of women who can love on them with no judgement,” she said. “We need to bring women together and empower them.”
Cindy said the event will be a special experience for the women and is a way to minister to them.
“These women will not only be pampered by experts in health and beauty, but we hope to instill confidence and celebrate the inherent beauty of the women – no strings attached,” she said.