JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. –
More than 50 military spouses from Joint Base Charleston and the surrounding area joined actress Kim Delaney for a free makeover event March 27 at Armory Park in North Charleston, highlighted by stars from the "Army Wives" television series.
Joined by fellow cast members Sterling Brown, Drew Fuller and Brian McNamara, Ms. Delaney, who plays Claudia Joy Holden in the series, opened the event with lighthearted humor and an amenable spirit, thanking the group of spouses for their sacrifices with personally signed handbags.
The South Florida non-profit organization which hosted the event, The Look for Success, has traditionally worked over the last 11 years to support at-risk teenagers and women diagnosed with cancer. The organization's founder, Kim Goedde, said through her close work with Ms. Delaney the idea surfaced to bring 'The Look' to military spouses as well - making the March 27 event a first.
"I like helping people and bringing them together for a positive thing. With the show being filmed here, I thought it was a good opportunity," said Ms. Goedde. "This is our first time, but we'll probably come back and do it again. If it works out that the show is here, we could tie it together every spring."
Overall, the event provided military spouses the opportunity to network with other spouses and leave their daily stresses at the door in exchange for a fair share of pampering from volunteer beauticians from Stella Nova, a local spa and beauty salon.
Spouses attending the event represented all branches of military services and were selected through coordination with local military family support services, such as Joint Base Charleston's Airman and Family Readiness Center and the Fleet and Family Support Center.
Dubbed "Makeovers for Military Wives," the venue chosen was simple, and the crowd was calm, but their quiet conversations came to a halt as cast members, door prizes valued at $200 and makeovers were announced. With hoots and hollers, special guests were welcomed and approached by eager spouses with cell phones and pocket cameras in hand, grabbing happy-snaps galore.
"I definitely put it on my Facebook that I was going ... everybody knew about it," said Paige Tiller, an Air Force spouse.
Joined at the event by her husband, Airman 1st Class Josh Tiller, 628th Comptroller Squadron customer service technician, Mrs. Tiller is new to military life. She and her husband were married shortly before he left for basic military training a year and a half ago.
"We've been at Charleston since the end of September [2009]. I think things are going very well for us. We're actually thinking about him serving until retirement."
Mrs. Tiller said she stays busy from day-to-day with a job in the local area and also attends college to pursue a degree in accounting. For the busy spouse, the event was a way for her to catch her breath and branch out, she said.
Kim Dugger, a Navy spouse, was unable to attend with her husband, Operations Specialist 2nd Class Joe Dugger, who is currently serving an assignment in California in preparation to deploy to the Middle East. Unlike her Air Force counterpart, Mrs. Dugger was "raised on the farm" - in a military sense - because of her father's service in the Air Force. Aside from being a full-time military spouse and mother to four daughters, Mrs. Dugger also keeps busy generating income by running her own auto glass repair company.
"You get so wrapped up in taking care of life, it's hard to do things you'd like ... so something like this is refreshing," she said.
The event ended with group photos, many hugs and even more smiles. As the last remaining spouses exited the building, locks of fine hair lay on the auditorium floor - some blonde, some red, some short and some long.
For new spouses, it was hair that had seen just the beginnings of military life. For the more seasoned, they were strands which had followed them many years and places.
Their diversity was as varied as the backgrounds of each of the spouses, and although just a makeover - for people like Mrs. Tiller and Dugger - it provided more.
At the very least for all others, as Ms. Delaney humorously put it, "Who doesn't like getting their hair done?"