Stepping out

    Stepping Stones held its third Gala on Oct. 16 at their High Street location. This gala builds self-esteem and confidence in the youth that the program serves. Part of the program’s Life Skills is teaching proper etiquette for various social settings, and this semi-formal event is a great opportunity for youth to exercise these skills with local community members who have been supportive of the program.
    This particular event is very memorable to the youth because many of them were not able to attend their own proms or winter balls and the staff at Stepping Stones wanted to create a special evening that the girls will always cherish.
    The staff of Stepping Stones realized the success of this type of event when they heard comments from the girls following the gala.
    Comments shared were: “I felt worth something,” “I felt like I could introduce myself to anyone in the room,” “For the first time in my life I felt beautiful”, “I felt like a princess,” “The best part of the evening was walking down the stairs and all eyes were on me and for the first time, it wasn’t a bad thing.”
    Earlier in the day local hair stylist, Deanna Mayo created a special hair-do for each young woman. Local merchants including, Chadwick’s, Daniels’ and County Yankee donated items to help make the evening special.
    Community support made a night for these ladies to feel beautiful, special and valued and the difference this makes in the lives of our youth is immense.