Manicures for All Despite Setbacks
Preeti M. of the Academy of American Studies shows resilience and dedication to GlamourGals’ mission of addressing senior isolation despite personal health issues.
I have volunteered at the Queens Boulevard Extended Care Facility for four years now, and the two most influential women were Barbara and Carmen. After each manicure I provided for Barbara and Carmen, they told me how much they loved their nails and how excited they were for my next visit. Barbara always wanted a red polish, and somehow by the end of the year, I managed to convince her to try other shades and change up her nails sometimes. Carmen, on the other hand, never wanted bold colors, but one year later, she wanted me to paint her nails different bright and bold colors, and even gold and glitter polishes. As they taught me lessons they learned from their youth and inspired me to push myself and become more outgoing and adventurous, I taught them to be more open and comfortable with themselves.
Because many members would quit the chapter after realizing the time commitment is required, the remaining members would work to provide as many manicures as possible. By the end of sophomore year, I was the only remaining member still attending meetings, along with the leaders, so I would provide manicures to Carmen, as she always requested me to do them, as well as the other residents. I would stay over the one hour we would usually spend at the facility to make sure everyone was satisfied.
After the first few weeks of volunteering at the facility, I discovered I had a herniated disc, causing me a lot of pain. It became more difficult to attend meetings because of the 30 minute travel time. Even so, I didn’t let my pain stop me from attending the meetings. I always pushed myself because I knew I made a commitment to meeting with the ladies every two weeks. My experience volunteering while in pain allowed me to feel the joy of spending quality time with those who need and appreciate it. I learned to push myself and stay committed. Volunteering brought me comfort; knowing I was making someone’s day brighter by just spending time with them also made my day. After overcoming my personal health issues, I was able to manage my workload better and become a better Chapter member, which ultimately helped me when I became president. My commitment in the past year has shown the incoming freshmen how important service is. Even though my school does not require freshmen to complete a certain amount of community service hours in their first year, the majority of my members this year are freshmen who are excited during every meeting and are always very engaged. It warms my heart to see them so active with our meetings and it helps me continue to believe in our chapter and the work we have done so far. In previous years, our members would not be very active, so as an individual, it makes me feel happy that our members are so committed to our chapter. I feel so secure knowing that our current members will one day be playing the leadership roles in the chapter to further influence our community.
GlamourGals is extremely important to my community because the facility we volunteer for does not have any other volunteers providing any companionship and service anymore due to the pandemic. We have learned that it is crucial for the residents to have interaction with others as it helps their mental and physical health, especially during this time of isolation. After we gave manicures at the facility, the residents expressed their gratitude to me regarding how much they appreciated our conversations much more than the manicures we provided them with. Therefore, it became immensely clear to us that our volunteering was necessary in order for the residents to feel less alone and happier.
