Luxe Loft to host Botox For Broadway event for addiction service

YOUNGSTOWN — Luxe Loft by Mathews Aesthetics will host a fundraising event, Botox for Broadway, on Saturday to raise money for Broadway Recovery Services.

Stephanie Mathews, owner of Luxe Loft, said she chose to fundraise for Broadway Recovery Services because she and her staff feel strongly about drug addiction in the community.

"I think it's safe to say that most people can't say that they don't know somebody whose life has been affected by the loss of a loved one or somebody that is struggling with addiction currently," she said.

At Luxe Loft, 7010 South Ave., Unit 7, Botox, filler and facial services will be 20 percent off Saturday, and all profits will go to Broadway Recovery Services. All Luxe Loft employees have also agreed to work for free that day, opting to donate their wages to the cause.

During the event, guests who make a $75 or more donation at the Botox for Broadway event will get the chance to spin a prize wheel. Mathews said although not everyone who spins will be a winner, all prizes will be $75 in value or more.

Prizes include products and services from Luxe Loft as well as from local donors, such as Simply Power Yoga Youngstown and Clientele Barbershop.

Luxe loft will also have a raffle with two winners. The first winner will receive a free year of Botox (approximately three or four treatments), and the second winner will get two syringes of filler.

According to Mathews, Luxe Loft has raised nearly $4,000 from raffle ticket sales. Tickets for the raffle are $5 each or five for $20 and can be purchased at Luxe Loft or Broadway Recovery Services. Winners will be selected Saturday.

Although appointments are limited, Mathews told Mahoning Matters that the community is encouraged to visit Luxe Loft to enter the raffles, spin the wheel and enjoy local vendors. Culturehouse Coffee Co. will be there, as well as Poland Nutrition and Baked by Jess, who agreed to donate their products for the event.

"We're going to have a food truck and just bring in people to just kind of raise awareness, like, 'Come get a pamphlet — take it home to your cousin who's struggling with drug addiction,' or, 'Hey, keep this in your car.' Because, you know, you never know when one of your friends reaches out to you and is struggling," Mathews said.

On Instagram, Mathews also touched on why drug addiction was personal to her.

"Those of you who know me really well know that I have an older brother, when he was about 16 years old, he struggled with drug addiction that led him down a path where he made a string of bad decisions, and he ended up in prison, and he is still there now and he's in his mid-40s," she said. "There were no services like Broadway Recovery in the 90s that were available to him. Also, there was a stigma and shame that was attached to it for the families, so it just really wasn't talked about. So we're excited to bring this to light in the community and to help them help others."

According to its website, "Broadway Recovery Services (BRS), is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that aims to provide a safe, structured, sober environment that enables and encourages individuals in recovery to continue their abstinence from drugs and alcohol, participate in treatment programs, and reconnect with their families and the community in a positive manner."

Mathews and her staff typically pick a charity each month to donate to, but this will be the first time Luxe Loft will do a fundraising event of this size and capacity, with the collaboration of Adam Lonardo, co-founder and executive director of Broadway Recovery Services, for Botox for Broadway.

Broadway Recovery Services has six sober homes in Youngstown and is working to expand by adding a home and services specifically for women in the near future.

Mathews is also a women's health nurse practitioner, and she said her goal is to bridge the gap in the community between mental health and medical professionals.

"I know a lot of doctors — I know a lot of nurse practitioners that work in mental health, and [Lonardo's background is] nonmedical," she said. "When he started out, his experience was directly with drug addiction. But there's all these other physical barriers put out by the government and by the mental health boards — that red tape that you have to work through."

This story was originally published October 9, 2020 at 4:52 AM with the headline "Luxe Loft to host Botox For Broadway event for addiction service."