Will You Shake a Woman’s World and Raise the Roof?

What do you get when you cross two passion-driven love-focused Leo artists who want to shake up the world by empowering women? A star-crossed partnership, an innovative inner beauty project, and one unforgettable birthday bash on the #1 one rooftop setting of Atlanta.

 Authentic Beauty (AB) CEO and founder Alyson Hoag already has a blissful marriage and two children. However her 40^th birthday fete at restaurant Maxim Prime on Saturday, August 16, 2008 is all about her newest love child, Project Authentic Beauty, and the celebration of AB’s union with The Chelko Foundation, midwife to the new project.

 “This is the best birthday present I could ever want, giving wings to my creative baby that will empower the authentic voice of young girls and women to love themselves completely,” said Hoag.

 Meet Project Authentic Beauty

When Project Authentic Beauty meets the world on Maxim Prime’s rooftop, attendees will get a full taste of how the non-profit endeavor plans to work on freeing women from self-negativity and stress—one lip gloss at a time.

 Project Authentic Beauty carries a large mission: to empower all women and girls to feel beautiful from the inside out; and to provide hope and healing for women experiencing trauma through education, makeup services and makeup.

 Examples of Project Authentic Beauty in action include:

·         Providing makeovers to Hurricane Katrina survivors in the Superdome at the V-Day 10^th Anniversary 2008

·         Providing makeup services to homeless teenagers for the 2008 Covenant House prom

·         Providing makeup services to mothers of chronically or terminally ill children through Q-100 Bert’s Big Adventure in Disneyworld 2009

·         Providing workshops to girls age eight to eighteen on inner beauty, self-esteem, nutrition and exercise, and media savvy education

·         Providing education to all Georgia guidance counselors on the power of the media’s beauty myth 2008   

 

Whenever a woman reconnects with her true authentic beauty, she frees herself from a personal prison, namely the mirror. Stress from false beauty images or real life traumatic circumstances has us forget who we are. Then we are good to no one. 

 

 Consider these facts next time you are on the treadmill:

·         By the time girls reach age thirteen, 80% report dissatisfaction with their body and their weight and have been on diets.

·         Self-esteem plummets at age twelve for girls, a statistic that doesn't repeat itself in boys.

·         Young women on college campuses today are overwhelmingly disordered eaters, 40-50%. 

·         New research shows a larger influence of the media on women's body image; in other words the media's effect on how much girls internalize the thin ideal is getting stronger. 

 “After twenty years as a makeup artist, I know women are constant self-critics, seeing ugly bags instead of sparkling eyes, laugh lines instead of a bright smile.  At Authentic Beauty, we believe every woman is beautiful and work to honor each woman we care for.”  Women who have experienced trauma or take on heavy responsibilities as caregivers often neglect self-care and can greatly benefit from the loving hands of a make-up artist.  “A little lipstick goes a long way,” says Hoag.

 Rooftop Champagne Toast to Bubble with Love

The Maxim Prime event celebrates the partnership of AB and The Chelko Foundation and kicks off an annual fundraiser for Project Authentic Beauty.

Imagine a champagne toast like none other while taking in the beauty of downtown Atlanta from this famed restaurant crowned atop the Glenn Hotel.

 

Event Sponsors receive so much more than a spectacular publicity package (see Sponsor form for details). By supporting Project Authentic Beauty, you become an integral part of possible change in the beauty industry for the good of all women and girls. You provide direct opportunity for self-transformation and self-empowerment through the busting of the beauty myth. You help relieve a woman’s trauma through simple beauty nurturing. 

 

Proceeds from the benefit will go to support the ongoing efforts of Project Authentic Beauty, including workshops on self-esteem, body image and inner beauty for women and girls; makeup supplies; stipends for artists and Image Journeys, makeovers, makeup events, and makeup kits for women who are experiencing stress due to traumatic events or roles as family caregivers.

 

The Chelko Foundation: Star Crossed Lovers

The Chelko Foundation is the philanthropic legacy of Atlanta-based artist Paul Chelko whose dying wish was to empower women. “Until women are free, no one is free,” said Chelko. 

 As a makeup artist of twenty-three years sick of hearing women’s harsh self-criticism in the mirror, Hoag couldn’t agree more. She founded her innovative makeup company Authentic Beauty in 2007 based on the philosophy that women are already beautiful. Project Authentic Beauty extends this mission to free women from the mirror.

 Hoag first heard of The Chelko Foundation when she received a sponsor t-shirt from president Randi Lane on the New Orleans-bound bus trip for V-Day 2008. The more energy she gave to Project Authentic Beauty, the more she and The Chelko Foundation became like magnets irresistibly attracting one another. Hoag even received guidance literally while in Richie Arpino’s Buckhead hair salon chair, as his receptionist sits on The Chelko Foundation board.  

Hoag felt goose bumps when she viewed Chelko’s art while meeting with board members Randi Layne and Ken Goldwasser at The Chelko Foundation office. Hoag feels like Chelko is speaking to her “from the grave” as the two are so similar. They both are Leos born only two days apart; they share the same personal quote; they received the same training and mentorship from a self-empowerment group; they are nationally recognized for their passion—Chelko’s art hangs in the Smithsonian while Hoag’s talents grace celebrity faces; and they are both devoted artists and humanitarians cut from the same philosophical cloth that “Your beauty is surpassed only by your willingness to share it with the world,” (Chelko).

Hoag’s commitment to continuing to provide care, hope and healing to women who had experienced trauma seemed a natural extension of The Chelko Foundation’s mission.  Chelko seeks to provide resources and opportunities to empower women.  Project Authentic Beauty recognizes that women face many external influences that diminish their confidence both in their inner and outer beauty. 

About the Chelko Foundation 

The Chelko Foundation was established in 2005 after the death of Paul Chelko’s wife, Debbie. His ideas for the Foundation were far reaching and will continue under the guidance of a select group of people handpicked by Paul.  It's mission is "to empower all women through art, education and partnership to create better lives for themselves and their children."  According to Paul, "... until women are free, no one is free...” The Chelko Foundation partners with V-Day Atlanta, Men Stopping Violence, and, now, Project Authentic Beauty