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ST. GEORGE — On a sunny day, Megan Baxter sat down with Annie Vandermyde to get her hair done and her makeup.
"That was the first time I've ever had a makeover before," Baxter said.
They even went shopping for a new outfit.
It was all in preparation for Baxter's photo shoot.
The makeovers and photo shoots are Vandermyde's newfound passion. It's part of a nonprofit organization she calls #Fly.
"I reached out to some organizations here in town that dealt with battered women and women who have been abused in some way," Vandermyde said.
That's how she found Baxter, who described her past life as fake.
"Being put down all the time and feeling less than, and not being able to be yourself," she said. "She saw something in me that I had no idea that I could be pretty."
Baxter felt comfortable around Vandermyde, and it's not just because their personalities mesh.
"A little while ago I was in a real tough spot," Vandermyde said.
They related through similar past experiences.
"Sometimes it can be too late, but she was able to make a change in her life to better herself," Brandon Vandermyde, Annie's brother, said.
#FLY from And Elise Photo and Film on Vimeo.
All of her brothers came to her during that difficult time.
"He just said to me, 'Annie, I don't recognize you,’ ” Annie Vandermyde said of one of her brothers. "You aren't the same person that you used to be. And I want to figure out a way to get you back."
So, he gave her $500 and told her to find herself.
"I could go leave tips that were big, and I could do all these things, but I wanted to make a difference," she said.
She brainstormed with her brothers. They reminded her of a photo shoot she had done.
"That made a big impact in your life, so what if you were to do that for other women," Annie Vandermyde said, recalling their conversation.
#Fly was started as a way to serve, give back, and to help women suffering in the silent pain of abuse by providing free makeovers and photo shoots.
"You do hair, you do makeup, you're a photographer. You could do this for other women."
No matter who tells these women otherwise, Annie Vandermyde believes #Fly can prove their worth to themselves.
"While it is a physical change that I am making, it is up to them to be able to make the internal change to connect it all together," Annie Vandermyde said.
When asked if her brother's challenge worked for her, she replies enthusiastically that it did.
"And it is still working," she said. "It helps me to see where I was a year ago and where they can be."
And it's working for these women too.
"It's changed me," Baxter said. "Now being able to present myself for the real person that I am; the happy person and the beautiful person that I feel like I am now."
"It is empowering them and giving them a voice, giving them confidence, giving them the ability to decide to move on, pick themselves up and to choose to be happy again," Annie Vandermyde said.
Those who are interested in contributing to #Fly can make a donation* through the #Fly gofundme page. For more information on photo shoots, contact Annie Vandermyde at the #Fly Facebook page.
*KSL.com has not verified the accuracy of the information provided with respect to the account nor does ksl.com assure that the monies deposited will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit or donation you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.*
