There is a rare breed of individuals in this world who truly believe that average is just not good enough; Beyoncé happens to be among those few. As she begins her vacation from her musical career, she still thrusts forward with her entrepreneurial and generously giving spirit with her latest venture. This past Friday (3/5), megastar Beyoncé Knowles along with her mother, fashion designer Tina Knowles, opened the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Phoenix House Career Academy in Dumbo, Brooklyn.

The goal for the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center is to offer a seven-month cosmetology training course, helping attendees gain the career skills they need to lead productive, rewarding lives while recovering from substance abuse and diagnosed mental illness. Beyoncé conveyed at the opening ceremony that as a child, she witnessed first hand the impact and support system her mothers’ salon provided for women in Houston. She expressed that her mothers’ salon was a place to “share stories, cry, laugh, and get advice. The first sign of recovery is caring about your appearance and hopefully, this Center will be a place that will change lots of lives every year.”

Beyoncé’s inspiration for going to such lengths to provide help for these individuals, came from meeting with the women in treatment at the Phoenix House while prepping for her role as Etta James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records. “Through their stories, I realized that all of us have our personal struggles and we all have something to overcome,” Beyoncé expressed. “But it is mostly drug and alcohol addiction that has the stigma that must be removed. Drug addiction is a disease and these beautiful women I met did not choose to become addicts, but they have chosen to get better, and the staff at Phoenix House is important to that healing process.” Though Beyoncé later went on to donate her salary from her role in the film to the women of the Phoenix House, as we stated before “there is a rare breed of individuals in this world who truly believe that the average is just not good enough. Beyoncé and Tina truly wanted to create “something that would teach them skills that would give them hope even after Phoenix House.” The duo has also opted to donate $100,000 per year towards the program.

Opinions may vary about her music, her movies, her fashion, her style and just about everything else she does or is involved with, but everyone can certainly agree that the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center is a good thing for all. Check out the coverage courtesy of Fox 5 News.