Our House keeping Jovita Moore passion project alive with ‘pamper party’

ATLANTA — This a place for moms to let down their hair. This a place where they can get a makeover for their faces.

They never could have expected all of this at the place they came to get back on their feet.

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Sharday is one of the 13 mothers at Our House — a place where families can go when they’ve lost everything.

“It came at a time where I really needed something,” she said.

On this day, she has gained back her confidence.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten all this done. It’s nice!” she said.

When her 9-month-old son Elijah had heart problems, doctors kept him in the hospital for six months.

Sharday said she never left his side, but it meant losing her job and their home.

“I was there, like the whole time, literally I lived at the hospital,” she said.

It’s a familiar story for the families at Our House on Boulevard.

It’s the kind of story that led to the first pamper party that a volunteer started here 10 years ago. That volunteer was Jovita Moore.

“It was very important to Jovita,” one volunteer said.

Over the years, Jovita had met mothers who did everything for their kids, so she wanted to do something for them.

“When you look good on the outside, you feel good on the inside, and so this is a really important even for our moms. It gives them a chance to relax,” the volunteer said.

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However, the pamper party almost didn’t happen this year.

When Jovita died in October, Our House lost the person who made all of this happen for all of the moms.

The thing about Jovita is she will never stop inspiring people.

Monehsa Brown never met Jovita and has never planned a pamper party.

“No, I didn’t know her, but yes I was inspired,” Brown said. “And like most people I thought, ‘I’m too busy, I got a lot going on,’ and then Jovita passed away.”

Brown’s son, London, started a swim-a-thon fundraiser for Jovita during her cancer battle, and it introduced them to Our House.

When the event was in doubt after Jovita’s passing, Brown called everyone she could to volunteer and keep Jovita’s passion alive.

“She laid a blueprint and she also found a wonderful organization to serve,” Brown said.

It was Jovita who made sure every mom got a fresh meal from Harold’s Chicken & Ice Bar.

And she’s why they now look forward to donating dozens of meals every year.

Co-planner Melody Marie wears a Jovita Moore quote on her shirt about forgiveness and doing.

She’s hoping more people will be inspired to help do what Jovita started a decade ago.

“She was a stellar person in the community, she influenced and helped, so it’s our responsibility as her loved ones, her friends, her viewers, to make sure we continue to keep this legacy alive,” Marie said.

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And for moms like Sharday, a day to look like a new person could be the first day of a new life.

“Slowly get my life back to where I was before,” she said.

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