Daughter follows through with 'Pinky Promise' made to mom

Mandeville, Manchester:

"There is nothing as powerful as a mother's love and nothing as healing as a child's soul."

It was at her lowest point that Shanella Palmer considered the suggestions of friends and family, and pushed through the loss of her mother to realise a dream in her honour.

It wasn't easy, but she knew she had to get it done, as even on her deathbed, her mother ensured that the consistent building of this family empire was prioritised.

"My mother loved children, and she was the one, in 2008, who encouraged me to follow through with my idea of starting the Mini Ms Manchester Pageant. I then made a promise to her to begin a performing-arts centre and a kiddies' salon."

"For years, she was with me through thick and thin with the pageant. She wanted me to do the dance school because she and I knew her time was coming to an end. I started the Shan's Performing Arts Centre a few months before she died just so she could see her dream and my promise realised," she continued.

Understandably, it became hard for Palmer to follow through with all these promises and she was just about ready to throw in the towel.

"It was the lowest point of my life. I felt like giving up on everything ... the dance school, the pageant; it was just hard to continue because my mother was tied to everything, and the memories were too much. But my family and friends would not have it. I pooled all my resources together and my sister really came through with the finances and we made it work."

Palmer proceeded to share how the name for her last promise to her mother came about.

"My sister was coming home from a function one night and she called me and told me she finally had a name for the salon. She knew of the promise we had made to our mother and if we are doing this in her honour, it had to be tied to her - and so the name Pinky Promise was born."

EMPOWERING GIRLS

Palmer shared that Pinky Promise is a modern upscale kiddies' salon that caters to girls aged two to six years old, but will soon offer nail, skincare and haircare services for boys.

"We offer a warm, relaxing atmosphere that caters to all your child's needs. We are geared towards empowering our young girls, making them realise that they are all beautiful and purposeful. Our goal is to help your child be happy, have fun, and feel beautiful."

The building, located at Newleigh Close, Mandeville, that houses the office space for the Mini Ms Manchester, Shan's Performing Arts Centre, and the Pinky Promise Kiddies' Salon, is also complete with a study room and play area for the children.

"When the children come for dancing, I want them in a secure, educational environment, so I have a homework room for them. And I don't have to tell them what to do: they know if they have homework, they are to go and do their homework until it is their dance time."

Palmer said that had it not been for the parents of her mother's past students, who have supported her over the years, she would have given up a long time ago.

"Our dance students have done well, competing nationally, and I'm looking for this salon to do well too. There is a lesson behind all my setbacks and accomplishments, and I want my students to learn from it as well. No matter what, you can push through and make things happen."

Palmer said that she is looking to take her vision, as well as her mother's vision of empowering the nation's children through these initiatives, to other parishes.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com