Split Ends Salon is shedding some light on the dark issue of suicide with its First Annual Morgan Beverly Festival on May 4.
The outdoor festival will benefit the Morgan Beverly Suicide Prevention Foundation, the founder of which is a Split Ends customer.
Kim Beverly’s daughter, Morgan, committed suicide in January 2009 when she was 16 years old. One day after a haircut, Kim Beverly left a flier for the foundation on Split Ends’ desk. The memory of that flier is what inspired co-owner Jennifer Hardison to orchestrate the festival.
“At the time I was a new mom and I saw her daughter's face on the front of that flier—my heart just broke for her,” Hardison said. “Your heart breaks for anyone who loses a child. But to know they were in that dark of a place and you couldn’t help them is what is upsetting for a parent.”
The Morgan Beverly Suicide Prevention Foundation’s mission is to prevent suicide among adolescents, teenagers and young adults in Anne Arundel County. Hardison said Split Ends has customers who have lost loved ones to suicide and she and the staff decided they wanted to help.
“I just feel like we are so touched by suicide in this area,” Hardison said. “It really touches our community."
The First Annual Morgan Beverly Festival will present an uplifting way to spread awareness of suicide prevention. The festival will feature vendors, games for kids and raffles.
The vendors in attendance will offer services from food, to jewelry to pottery. Hardison said each vendor made a $100 donation to the foundation for a table. The festival will also feature raffles for gift cards to area businesses as well as an autographed Ray Rice jersey, a flat screen TV and cash.
The event itself is free, but all proceeds from the vendors and raffles will be donated to the Morgan Beverly Suicide Prevention Foundation. Hardison said they hope to raise $3,000.
“I want to bring light to the subject because it is unfortunately a very dark subject,” Hardison said. “I feel like if we can create more [suicide] awareness in a positive and uplifting way people won’t be afraid to talk about it and learn more about it.”
The festival will take place in the parking lot outside Split Ends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on May 4. Raffle tickets are available at the store now, and will be available the day of the event.