Story by Dulce Villa. Photos provided by Project Beauty.
Jo Lam knows firsthand that the scars left from abuse can be both physical and emotional. Motivated by her own journey as a survivor, she founded Project Beauty– a nonprofit dedicated to helping others reclaim their confidence and sense of self after trauma.
Project Beauty started in 2018 by offering on-site beauty treatments at shelters and transition homes. Since then, it has grown into a program focused on helping survivors regain their confidence and dignity. Today, Project Beauty operates through three key initiatives: Beauty Pamper Days, Project Glam, and the Angel Clinic.
“As a survivor, I saw the gap that was missing in the healing journey,” Jo explains. “Many nonprofits provide important fundamental needs– shelter, clothing, and food– we need that. There’s mental health. There’s presentability. If women are expected to go out into the world and rebuild their lives, how can they do that?”
The Angel Clinic, which earned Social Innovator of the Year from United Way of Metropolitan Dallas in 2024, provides restorative therapies like tattoo removal, dental work, and scar revision for survivors who have been disfigured by violence. The inspiration came directly from Jo’s own experience.
“Abuse is already difficult to talk about,” Jo says. “But to talk about physical marks left behind– that’s even heavier. So many survivors are walking around with disfigurements they see every day in the mirror, or markings such as tattoos and brands, and there are no resources to help them. We make those services available.”
The need became clear in 2019, when Jo met a woman at a shelter who was missing an eye due to abuse. Project Beauty stepped in to cover her medical expenses, and the Angel Clinic was born.
Another part of Project Beauty’s work is Project Glam. It serves around 400 under-resourced girls annually by providing dresses, beauty treatments, and accessories so they can attend prom with confidence. The program supports girls from communities that are historically under-resourced.
“Every year we are really helping girls who are immigrants, girls who are growing up in neighborhoods that have a hard time affording food on the table. We’re making those experiences accessible to them because they deserve it too.”
At the heart of Project Beauty’s mission is a belief that empowerment begins with the ability to rewrite your story.
“We believe empowerment is understanding your past may have been dark or challenged, and that a lot of things you’ve gone through may not be the best, but those experiences don’t define you.”
Jo believes that self-worth is one of the most important parts of a survivor’s journey. Without it, it’s much harder to break the cycle of abuse.
“Women aren’t going to leave if they keep thinking they’re not worthy for more,” Jo says. “Ultimately, you have the power to rewrite your story and say, ‘This is how I’m going to live my life.’ We want every woman and child we serve to have the empowerment to heal, take care of themselves, and learn what self love really means.”
Jo says that this shift from self-doubt to self-worth is where transformation happens. And it’s not just survivors who are drawn to hope, it’s partners too.
“They seek us out,” Jo says about medical partners in the Angel Clinic. “We’ve had several international laser removal companies, dental professionals, and specialists in scar revision reach out to us. I always say it’s a divinely led journey. I know we’re supposed to do this work.”
As more people hear about their work, Project Beauty’s next big goal is to open a Beauty Wellness Center– a safe place where survivors can receive care. Jo says requests for services have come in from Houston, Oklahoma, and beyond.
“We want to build with intention because we know that what we’re doing is impactful.”
When asked what she hopes readers take away, Jo’s message was to lead with gratitude.
“A lot of people are surprised by how positive I am when they hear what I’ve been through,” Jo says, “but I see my experience as a gift. If it didn’t happen to me, Project Beauty wouldn’t exist. Every experience shapes us. We have to be thankful– even for the hard things– because they bring us to where we are meant to be.”
