Actress Jessica Alba hosted a baby shower to honor a local mom who’s making a difference. Floral Park, Queens resident Perminder Thiara was the lucky winner and they celebrated with a group of her friends and The Honest Company in downtown Manhattan on May 7.
Floral Park resident Perminder Thiara, 34, is a mom expecting her second child, a marketing manager, and the co-founder of Kiirpa, the first nonprofit of its kind created to empower women in the Punjabi community. Thiara was also the winner of The Honest Company’s Ultimate Baby Shower, and on May 7, she celebrated her win at Locanda Verde in downtown Manhattan with friends, family, and Jessica Alba.
Alba, the 32-year-old mom of two and co-founder of The Honest Company aims to create a more sustainable planet starting with non-toxic and eco-friendly products for the whole family. Alba says she picked Thiara as the winner of the contest, created to celebrate a “deserving mom-to-be” who is committed to creating a safe and healthy environment for her family while dedicating herself to the service of others, “because she is the epitome of superwoman.”
Thiara started Kiirpa with some friends in 2009 because she wanted to let the women in her community know about opportunities available to them, “so they can become strong leaders in the community,” she says. The organization places a strong focus on health awareness, presenting health fairs every year and providing free breast cancer awareness pamphlets, free mammogram screenings for undocumented and uninsured women older than 40, and free pap smears. She says she nominated herself for the contest after thinking, “Why not!” and she found out she was a finalist during a pregnancy checkup at her doctor’s office. “I said, ‘I would love to scream, but I can’t because I’m at the doctor,’” she says of that phone call. “A week later, they told me I was the winner and I was so speechless and excited…I just have no words to express how I feel. It’s like I won the lotto.”
Created by The Honest Company, the contest and it was co-sponsored by Land of Nod and Tea Collection. The prize included the shower and $10,000 worth of mommy must-haves, including a $3,000 gift card to Land of Nod, a $1,000 gift card for Tea Collection children’s apparel, and a $2,400 credit at honest.com. The shower took place in a private room with personalized decorations, a multi-course meal, and games and activities organized by Thiara’s friends and family.
