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Purple Cat Farm in Coitsville hosts Glamour Day
By EMMALEE C. TORISK
COITSVILLE
To Rachel Levoff, Friday’s Glamour Day at the Purple Cat Farm in Coitsville was a dream come true.
“When I was younger, I wanted to be in a beauty pageant,” said Levoff, a Purple Cat client, while donning a decorated crown and pageant sash. “I like everything about [Glamour Day].”
The afternoon event, attended by about 30 female Purple Cat clients of all ages, included manicures, a red carpet and a photo booth, and was developed mainly by 18-year-old Hallie Anne Saculla of Poland, the reigning 2013-14 National American Miss Ohio Teen.
Purple Cat is part of Iron and String Life Enhancement Inc., which provides services for individuals with developmental disabilities in Mahoning, Trumbull, Mercer and Lawrence counties. Specifically, Purple Cat offers day-program alternatives for adults.
Hallie received her crown in July, and began planning the event — with the help of her mother, Cheryl Saculla — almost immediately afterward.
She said her biggest pet peeve is when pageant winners do absolutely nothing with their titles, and thought that Glamour Day would be the perfect opportunity to empower other women, specifically adults with disabilities.
“I really think that when you win a title, you should make a difference with it,” Hallie said. “Glamour Day is a great way to help people feel good about themselves.”
Cheryl, a special-education teacher, said although the idea for Glamour Day was entirely Hallie’s, it was easy for her to embrace it.
She added that she helped her daughter only slightly to put together the event, which was open to clients from several other Purple Cat sites.
“We wanted to make others feel as special as she did when she received her crown,” Cheryl said. “They had a blast, especially strutting down the runway. We set an example for the ladies with self-esteem, manners, good grooming and presenting themselves with their best foot forward.”
She added that her son, Marc Saculla, is a site supervisor for Purple Cat, and helped to set up the McCartney Road venue.
Also on hand to help out with the event were Kennedy Furano, Landry Torres and Liberty Torres — all recent Ohio title winners.
A big part of competing in pageants is giving back to the community, said 10-year-old Kennedy of Boardman.
For much of the event, Kennedy manned the photo booth, and enjoyed the chance to “take pictures of everybody.”
“I thought it would be nice to help out,” she said. “It’s fun.”
Nia Morgan and Kristin Seidler, both Purple Cat clients, said they appreciated the opportunity to pamper themselves at Glamour Day.
“I liked hanging out with all of my girls, getting my nails done and getting a crown,” Seidler said. “It’s very interesting. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Though organizing the event required a great deal of hard work, it was worth it, Hallie said, adding that seeing everyone having fun is “really rewarding.”
“Wearing a crown and a banner is really about service,” she said. “These ladies possess true beauty from the inside, and I think they should be recognized.”