Dear Editor: An afternoon tea party – just what every girl loves. You wear fancy dresses, pretty hats, lavish jewelry, extravagant shoes … oh, and of course don’t forget the tea. This is what you will take pleasure in at the Pearls and Purses Afternoon Tea Party benefiting the Richmond Hill YMCA’s Priceless Gifts Campaign from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Richmond Hill City Center.
 Melissa Hurd, event coordinator, was visiting family up north last year when she and her daughter Rylan, now 4 years old, were invited to a tea party. It was a treat for Rylan to get dressed up, have “real” tea and share in the fun with other little girls. And for Melissa, it was a treat as well to enjoy this delightful, innocent moment with her daughter in a world that doesn’t seem so innocent for our little ones.
Melissa, a decadent party-giver herself, enjoyed her time so much she wanted to bring a “tea” back home. She was fortunate to find an avenue to share her experience with others through the YMCA’s Priceless Gifts Campaign. It just seemed like a great match – the YMCA’s wholesome values and the innocence of a tea party.
Young girls today are exposed to society negatively influencing their clothing choice, self-esteem and growing up too fast. Melissa wanted moms, grandmothers, aunts and all ladies to enjoy the delight of simply being a girl. And the YMCA wants to help families preserve innocence and promote good family values.
Helping the community be a wholesome and supportive place is part of what the YMCA does. And in Richmond Hill, the numbers tell it all. The Richmond Hill YMCA has grown from about 50 families to almost 1,000 over the past year. And the YMCA so passionately wants to provide this support for all families. Those who want to participate but cannot afford to do so are not turned away. The YMCA opens its arms and accommodates these families.
That’s where the Priceless Gifts Campaign steps in and helps fund these expenses. And it is two-fold. These families will benefit from the services, but there is also a culture of giving that the YMCA wants to promote and make contagious to everyone in the community. There’s an old saying, “the more you give, the more you receive,” but in the case of the YMCA’s Priceless Gifts Campaign, the more you give the more everyone receives.
So put on your tea party hat. Be ready to experience fanciful party foods, take pleasure in surroundings as whimsical as can be imagined, and of course enjoy tea donated by Lisa Brown of Hale Tea here in Richmond Hill. Come enjoy being a girl and support the YMCA and their Priceless Gifts Campaign.

Marci Reynolds
Pearls and Purses volunteer
Richmond Hill