By Anna Skinner
An event to showcase the inner and outer beauty of people seeking to rebuild their lives after spending time in prison is expanding.
Cindy Crowe-Layne, owner of As the Crowe Flies salon in Zionsville, will hold her next Uncage Your Beauty event in her hometown of Crawfordsville from 7 to 8 p.m. May 21 at New Hope Christian Church.
The event will feature makeover stories of four people – including the program’s first male – working to overcome substance abuse and issues caused by domestic violence. The mayor of Crawfordsville and others who work with people in recovery will speak.
Crowe-Layne developed the idea for Uncage Your Beauty after corresponding with women at the Boone County Jail. She decided to use her salon to give the women a free makeover once they were released from jail.
“When I would go in (to the jail), I would see these beautiful women and they didn’t seem like they had any hope,” Crowe-Layne said.
Some pictures of the women after they received their makeover are on display in the salon. The makeovers gave the women a newly established confidence.
“They are trying to get back on their feet, so we lavish them with love,” Crowe-Layne said. “We thought we needed to share this with the community because of the effect we were having on them.”
Fifty percent of the proceeds from the fundraiser will stay in Crawfordsville and will be divided between organizations who work with people in recovery. The other 50 percent will go to the Zionsville-based Birds Be Free Foundation, Crowe-Layne’s nonprofit that organizes the event.
“I think because of the epidemic we are seeing nationally with substance abuse, if people come to the event it will give them more information of what they can do to help or to help someone else,” Crowe-Layne said.
Tickets are $10. For more information, call As the Crowe Flies salon at 733-1500.
