Dishni Jayasuriya is the franchise owner of Glama Gal in Ajax, Ontario made headlines in Toronto-area media after she offered free workshops for children of front-line workers.
Jayasuriya is who is also a mom to Adrianna, 5 runs Glama Gal, which is a kid’s spa specializing in birthday parties, packages, camps, events and workshops, including the popular paint nights and slime making sessions. She was forced to close her business space in mid-March to support public health efforts, just before March break, her busiest time of year.
Since then, Jayasuriya took both her paint night and slime making sessions virtual. Parents can take a break while their kids are following Jayasuriya’s instructions and guidance via Zoom on the internet.
The method is easy: You go to the site, sign up for a virtual class of choice (she offers everything from painting animals with feathers and glitter, to baking funfetti cake) You pay for it digitally, then all the items needed for the workshop are delivered directly and safely to your door. She instructs the class for kids via Zoom, giving them a chance to interact with each other and her.
“I saw how happy the sessions were making kids. We have a showcase at the end of the paint night or sessions on Zoom, we pull each up on the Zoom big screen and show their work and everyone claps. Parents love it and we’ve gotten a great response,” Jayasuriya said.
Due to the success of these online workshops, she’s been able to cover her rent and decided it was important for her to give back and do something special for front-line workers. So, she designed a workshop to offer free for children of front-line workers.
“What better way to support our health heroes than putting a smile on the faces of their children through an awesome virtual paint party or a cool slime making session at home,” Jayasuriya said.
