CENTER VALLEY, Pa. - Huge smiles came across the faces of the children at Sweet and Sassy kids salon Sunday as workers welcomed them with songs and shook pompoms.
It all was part of a surprise birthday party for kids in transitional housing.
The celebration was held by the Nanny Loft and Sweet Sassy, in Center Valley, for the youngsters whose families are receiving help through the Sixth Street Shelter in Allentown.
- The Nanny Loft threw a surprise party for the kids of Sixth Street Shelter
- Sweet and Sassy salon hosted the celebration offering hair and nail services
- The event offered a chance for children who may not otherwise get one to have a birthday party
"The Sixth Street Shelter provides homes for families who are experiencing homelessness through no fault of their own,” shelter Development Officer Michelle Weissmann said.
“We have a lot of different families who come in different diversities, different educational backgrounds and we provide them the resources that they need to succeed so that they can be self-sufficient moving forward."
All of the families in the program with young children were invited to the spa party, and 18 families attended.
Nanny Loft, a nanny babysitting agency serving the Lehigh Valley, held the party to offer the guests a chance to play dress up, get their hair and nails done, and complete crafts.
“She has never been anywhere like this, so she's extremely excited.”Laquanda Golden, Allentown
“A lot of our families are local professionals, doctors in the community, that need full-time or part-time consistent quality care," Nanny Loft founder Dilia Coppedge said. "And our vision is to also provide that same consistent care and provide respite for our families that essentially cannot afford high quality care."
The agency has been around for six years and periodically holds events with other local businesses to offer child care to parents who may not often receive it.
This time, Coppedge teamed up with Sweet and Sassy.
"I'm an owner that loves to get involved in the community and wants to get back,” Sweet and Sassy owner Tiffany Sandt said
“We decided to work with the shelter this year and give the kids that maybe can't do it at home a full birthday party."
One Allentown mom was thrilled.
"I'm grateful, more than anything, to be able to experience this with them and have the opportunity to be able to come out on my day off and see my daughter smile,” Monique Hartwell of Allentown said.
Hartwell, a mom of two, has found success through the Sixth Street Shelter, which required her to go back to school and work. She said with a new baby at home, she doesn’t always get quality time with her 4-year-old, so she appreciates an opportunity like the party.
Hartwell said it’s one of the many opportunities the shelter has given her.
“For any woman coming into this or even struggling in this, trying to make it to the end, I would just tell them to see it through, it is so important to see it through," she said. "It's you versus you. It doesn't matter that you ended up at the bottom, because the only place from there to go is up.”
Laquanda Golden also brought her 7-year-old.
“She has never been anywhere like this, so she's extremely excited,” she said.
Golden also found stability on the program offered through Sixth Street Shelter.
“It has helped me financially," she said. "It has helped my daughter because now she finally has her own room. We're really comfortable, they've just helped so much and I'm so grateful."
The party wrapped up with a large cake, piñatas and, of course, a dance party.
"The kids have the biggest smiles on their face," Sweet and Sassy owner Sandt said. "They love the birthday cake, of course, and all of us singing to them. They like getting dressed up and getting their hair done.”
It was the second time the event was held. In addition to the staff at the salon, the Nanny Loft and Sixth Street Shelter, students from a sorority at Moravian College pitched in, as well.
