Walking into the historic Willey House on Fifth Street in downtown Gilroy last Saturday, the infectious laughter of little girls greets you, second to the sweet scent of hair spray and perfume.
“I love it,” said Sally Mortensen, who brought her daughters, Naya, 4, and Liliana, 6, to the third annual Pampered Princess Party hosted by the Gilroy Youth Commission, where 120 little girls got their nails manicured, hair styled and their outfit bedazzled at no cost.
“We haven’t been here before. It is such an awesome idea, especially that it’s for free. All these services—nails and hair is expensive. And the girls running it are all a lot of fun.”
The brainchild of 16-year-old Mariah Carpenter, a Christopher High student who has served on the city’s Youth Commission since she was in eighth grade, the Pampered Princess Party was a way to give local kids a fun experience at no cost to their families.
“Our world is like ‘no’—if you can’t afford it, you can’t do it,” she said, adding that when she was younger, going to the hair salon with her grandmother or getting her nails done, was a common thing, and she wants all little girls to be able to have that experience.
Carpenter organized the entire event, calling on teenage volunteers from Christopher, Gilroy and Monte Vista high schools to help transform the Willey House into a bustling salon and party venue.
“The first year we had 60 people come, the second year 101, so we are aiming for 102 this year,” she said, smiling.
In the photo room, where mom Serena Jean attempted to get three little girls who were twirling around in party dresses to stand still for a picture, said the whole event was adorable.
“It’s the first year my girls have come and they’ve hit every room twice,” she said. “The biggest hit was the hair. Everyone loves the hair.”
Planning for the princess party started in December. Funds used to put on the event were generated through the commission’s two major fundraising activities of the year—Gilroy Garlic Festival ticket sales and firework sales in July.
“We need more events like this for locals,” said Emily Castro, who along with her brother, Steve Sandoval, each brought their kids to the event. “Events for the kids and their families here in Gilroy—instead of having to go to San Jose.”
Castro said she saw the event advertised on Facebook.
“It’s a good turnout. Next they should make one for the adults!”
The Gilroy Youth Commission meets monthly and is made up of 11 Gilroy residents, ages 12 to 18. The commission acts like an advisory board to the City Council on youth issues, explained recreation coordinator, Anna Bielecki, who is the group’s advisor.
In addition to putting on events, the commission’s next youth-run activity is a free basketball clinic later this month. The group also puts together long-range proposals on behalf of Gilroy’s youth.
Top of the list for the commission is a new youth center—an all-in-one swimming, gym, multi-use recreation facility for Gilroy’s young people, a place similar to the Centennial Recreation Center in Morgan Hill.
“It is a broad, huge, long-term goal for them. It is in its very early phases,” said Bielecki. “They really want something like that, but understand it is ‘easier said than done.’”
Currently, Gilroy youth who want to swim a few laps at a public pool have to wait until summer when the local aquatics programs start at Christopher and Gilroy high schools. There is also no open gym for pick-up games of indoor basketball. The Wheeler Auditorium next to the public library appears to be the only place in town where one can rent a room to hold a dance or fitness class, apart from private spaces like lodges and halls.
This lack of facilities for youth activities in Gilroy has prompted the commission to take up the youth center as a goal, though Carpenter admits it will be a long process.
“We are trying to start planning for a youth center and will eventually present it to the City Council,” said Carpenter. “Then we have to get it through the approval process and find out how we are going to fund it; we know the city can’t fund the whole thing.
“It’s a pending process,” she said.
