Today was a Good Day

By Karla F. Wirtz

“Today was a good day,” she’d often say.
“Every day’s a good day,” he’d reply, and he meant it.

Kim Becker, co-founder of Hello Gorgeous! of HOPE, Inc., Mishawaka, reflects on what seemed like a routine exchange she and her husband Michael would have on a regular basis.  When you’ve found your calling in life and you feel fulfilled, there’s satisfaction at every turn.  For Michael, who had been diagnosed with liver disease back in 1996, every day truly was a gift and they made the most of it.  While making trips down to Indianapolis for his medical care they would dream of the future together.

“My dream was to open a salon,” she says looking back to her earlier years. “Michael, who had studied Pre-Columbian Archeology at Purdue University, dreamed of making history with an important find on a dig.  But here he was, working in retail management for Montgomery Ward, then later for Meijer.  “He said I should call my salon Hello Gorgeous, so we could greet people with that salutation every time we picked up the phone,” she quips, “I thought that was just ridiculous!”  She eventually opened her shop in 1997 along Mishawaka Avenue in South Bend, and named it Cheveux Professional Hair Design. Around this time Michael’s mother died from cancer. Working in the salon, women would often ask Kim for advice for issues related to cancer treatment.  This, due to life circumstances, was a topic that Kim had come to understand all too well.

“I knew there was more that we should be doing,” recalls Kim. “I felt it down in my heart.”  

One day, during their journey down and back from Indianapolis, Kim had a vision.  

“I had a calling to empower a womenbeing treated for cancer,” she continues, “to educate about things that made her feel ‘girly’ such as eyebrows, eyelashes, hair and breast care, so they could learn to work with what they have. I wanted a beautiful, elegant, palace on wheels.  I knew what I’d call it-- Hello Gorgeous!”  She finally had a use for the name Michael had suggested. “We’re only for women,” states Kim. “Men lose strength and virility.  I can’t help with that.”

Michael, having been laid off from Meijer due to corporate re-organization, poured all of his energy into making a plan for Hello Gorgeous!

“I’m a visionary, a go-getter.  Michael was the executioner. He’d figure out how to make sure it worked out.”

Then it finally happened. Thirteen years ago, in February 2006, Kim and Michael saw her vision become a reality.  With the help of Congressman Chris Chocola, theybecame recognized as a 501(c)3 non-profit, and launched Hello Gorgeous! of HOPE, Inc.

Women who receive services from Hello Gorgeous! must be nominated by a family member or friend. This can happen from the first day of diagnosis until six-months post-treatment.
“It has to be a surprise,” explains Kim. “We will either come to her with our mobile day spa or she’ll be taken care of by one of our affiliates.”  Today, Hello Gorgeous! has 34 affiliate salons in thirteen states stretching all across the United States.   Once selected, Hello Gorgeous! devises a plan with the nominator to do a surprise three-hour long make-over with the nominee.  She’ll be greeted with a hearty “Hello Gorgeous!” and flowers or chocolates. Then, she’ll be treated to complimentary services and lessons which could include a facial, a massage, a manicure, a pedicure, makeup application (her skin tone may have changed), a wig or hair coloring, and a clothier will work with her.  The intent is to have her feel she looks normal.  Once the make-over is complete, they’ll celebrate with a reveal party.  It’s not uncommon for recipients of their care to exclaim “I didn’t know I needed you guys,” shares Kim. 

Hello Gorgeous! completes one make-over per day 30 days a month.  Kim works at developing content and coaching volunteer stylists and technicians.  The training is focused on precautions that need to be followed.  “We need to make sure she stays safe,” relates Kim. “She could have compromised immunity and a risk of infection.”  They only use disposable sponges and organic skin care for make-up application. Disposable sheets and pillow covers are utilized during massages.Plant-based nail care products, disposable liners and orange sticks are used for manicures and pedicures. Techniques for proper sterilization and use of tools such as nippers are reviewed.  Hello Gorgeous! continuously accepts donations of products as well as volunteer talent.  They welcome groups to help assemble the various make-over kits given to the women they serve, too.  In the future Hello Gorgeous! would like to offer mini make-over sessions to serve even more women at their home office.

A cheery red door on a mixed-use building along Beiger Street in Mishawaka welcomes visitors to their office, which houses their mobile spa bus.  “You are fearfully and wonderfully made. - Psalms 134:14” is painted along one of the walls in the office. This message has been far-reaching. “Michael was spirit-led,” shares Kim.  So much so, he had a bracelet made with this, his favorite verse.  “People didn’t know he was sick, as he answered the phone from his hospital bed,” Kim reflects. “Hello Gorgeous! gave his life purpose when he was having his own trials and tribulations. We lost him to septic shock in 2017.  As he was air-lifted he grabbed my hand and said we needed to keep going. We carry on for him.”  A small memorial to Michael has been erected near the entry door with his picture and the familiar quote “Every day’s a good day!”  Though Michael may not be there in the physical sense, his spirit is still very much alive and with Kim and their teenage son, Seth.  

Hello Gorgeous! continues to be a family ministry.  Kim’s sister, Trisha Greenlee, serves as the Director of Operations.  There are 12 other executive team members who they meet with on a monthly basis.

“It’s my juice! There’s nothing more satisfying than to meet someone who says ‘When my mom was sick, you gave her a make-over,” says Kim. “It’s just the best thing to make a difference in the world. There’s a ripple effect.  By taking care of her, we’ve served her children, her family. To make a difference in her life when she didn’t think one could be made.”

When you see a big red bus out on the road that reads “Look what the Lord has done” across the front, you’ll know that Hello Gorgeous! is on the move again.

For information about Hello Gorgeous! of Hope, Inc., tips, and the nomination process, go to www.hellogorgeous.org.