BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 The New You Beauty Social is returning to Bakersfield this weekend with a heartfelt mission \u2014 to honor and uplift survivors of domestic violence and cancer, giving them a way to take back their identity, their confidence, and their sense of self.<\/p>\n
For many, the event is more than just a celebration \u2014 it\u2019s a moment of healing.<\/p>\n
Finding Strength Through Survival<\/p>\n
Among those being recognized is Tina Rud, who was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer in May of this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was shocked that I was able to catch my cancer so early,\u201d Rud shared. \u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to do your yearly mammogram, because if I hadn\u2019t caught it, I would\u2019ve been stage two or three by now \u2014 it was so aggressive.\u201dAfter losing both her breasts and her hair during treatment, Rud says she struggled with her self-image.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you wake up and see half of your hair in the bed, you feel a type of way \u2014 you feel less than a lady sometimes,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I\u2019m thankful.\u201dThis weekend, Rud will be one of many cancer survivors gifted with a wig \u2014 a symbol of beauty and restoration \u2014 through the New You Beauty Social.<\/p>\n
A Voice for the Voiceless<\/p>\n
Also being honored is Keisha Stevenson, a survivor of lifelong domestic violence. Her first experience with abuse began at just eight years old, at the hands of a family member.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just remember him touching me and doing things he shouldn\u2019t have for two weeks,\u201d Stevenson recalled. \u201cWhen I finally got home to tell my parents, they were alcoholics. I felt like they didn\u2019t address it.\u201dThat trauma, she says, followed her into adulthood and through five marriages marked by abuse. Today, Stevenson is using her story to advocate for children living in silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod gave you those kids for a reason. You should listen to what your kids are saying,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are so many kids hurting themselves or living with pain because their parents didn\u2019t care or didn\u2019t understand. Stay caught up in your children \u2014 not in the man or the woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dressing for Confidence and Hope<\/p>\n
The runway portion of Sunday\u2019s event will feature survivors modeling clothing provided by Dress for Success, an organization committed to empowering women through fashion and confidence.<\/p>\n
Hedie Shubin, a domestic violence survivor herself, leads the Bakersfield chapter and says helping others feel beautiful again is deeply personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know as a domestic violence victor that you want to feel good about yourself,\u201d Shubin said. \u201cWhen you look good on the outside, it helps you start feeling good on the inside. It makes my heart happy to give back and help them feel that again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Honoring Those We\u2019ve Lost<\/p>\n
The event is hosted by Angel Lee, founder of the Angel Family Crisis Prevention Network, who is also a survivor of domestic violence. Her organization is providing wigs to cancer survivors and organizing a touching ceremony to remember those who have lost their battle.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have the Tree of Life and purple ribbons,\u201d Lee explained. \u201cThose ribbons will be placed by survivors to represent those still living through domestic violence \u2014 a sign that we believe in them. We\u2019ll also remember those who have passed on with candles and a moment of silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Event Details<\/p>\n
The New You Beauty Social will be held Saturday at the Boys and Girls Club on Young Street around 3pm.<\/p>\n
Tickets are $20, with all proceeds benefiting the Angel Family Crisis Prevention Network, supporting victims and survivors of domestic violence.<\/p>\n
This celebration of resilience reminds the community that even through pain, there is power \u2014 and through unity, there is healing.<\/p>\n
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) \u2014 The New You Beauty Social is returning to Bakersfield this weekend with a heartfelt…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[151,155,153,152,162],"class_list":["post-23183","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield","tag-bakersfield-downtown","tag-bakersfield-headlines","tag-bakersfield-news","tag-kern-county-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}