by Katy Bates
Church relations coordinator for Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home & Family Services

"Pink it up!" was our catch phrase as we decorated, pretty-ed up and pink-ed up the Vera Lloyd campus for the 9th annual Pink Hat Day luncheon this spring at Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Home & Family Services.

The luncheon is held to honor, in a special way, the Presbyterian Women’s groups, churches and friends of Vera Lloyd that help us carry on the mission of sharing Christ’s healing love with youth and families in crisis.

What a day it was! Staff members and 54 youth worked with pleasure to let our appreciation flow to the approximately 100 honored guests. It was a joy to look over the landscape and view the sea of beautiful ladies in their hand decorated pink hats roam the beautiful Monticello, AR, campus.

Walking tours and shuttles took the ladies to pay a visit to the five family homes full of youth, eager to show their homes' Pink Hat décor. The tour also included, the school, the old farmhouse turned guesthouse, Williamson Hall and the Tree of Life quilt, the lovely grounds and small lake.

The tours ended at Lyons Gymnasium all “pinked-up” with balloons, pink tables and more pink hats for a catered lunch and a program that left few dry eyes in the house. The youth participated in eating and mingling with our devoted PW’s and Friends of Vera Lloyd and gave us a style show of what was “in” these days. They were darling and full of personality as they strolled through the crowd in their outfits.

Later, awards were given, one for the coveted Best Pink Hat, one for the most attendees, most first timers and longest distance and on and on. But a special moment arrived when one church or group, voted on by the youth themselves, was presented with a “Key to our Home” to show their appreciation for the blessing that church was to them this last year.

And then, the newest award was unveiled, the “Traveling Pink Hat Award.” This is voted on by the churches and PW groups themselves, as to who had traveled the most miles in events with the youth. It only stays with that church one year and next year the vote will be taken again and the gorgeous pink hat and its lovely hat box will “travel” on to another church trophy case to be proudly displayed.

As dessert is to a meal, the last presentation by the youth was to each heart in attendance. Each child on campus participated in a “sign-board conversation” which is a silent walk to the song, Gods Grace Still Amazes Me. As children walked they held a sign that on one side revealed their emotions, in one word, that best captured the way they felt the day they arrived at Vera Lloyd and they flipped to the other side of the sign, with a word best describing their emotions today.

To see so many negatives, change to positives, was evidence that Christ’s healing love changes you. It brings hope and faith and new beginnings. We all saw and felt His healing love in action. Next years' event is April 9. We can’t wait to share that day you!

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