Making an Impact and Building Connections

Madison Z., President of the Stuyvesant High School chapter, shares her motivation for starting a GlamourGals chapter and details how various GG events have helped her leadership skills flourish.

Following my grandmother’s admission into a senior care home and realizing how important social interaction is in keeping her Alzheimer’s from slipping into stage 7, I made it a goal to combat senior loneliness. As founder and president of the GlamourGals Stuyvesant chapter, I lead a rotating team of over 180 high school volunteers into five different senior homes across Manhattan offering manicures, craft workshops, companionship, and conversation. Collaborating with my team and logistically coordinating with recreation directors has given me invaluable leadership skills. Most importantly, I have the chance to enrich the lives of the seniors we serve with our activities. As a high school student, I did not expect to form such meaningful bonds with the elderly, but I cherish every moment of my experience. I also enjoy the challenge of planning and executing multiple events every week, from fundraising and tabling events to card-writing campaigns, hosting kick-off parties, chapter meetings, and coming up with new and feasible craft activities to engage seniors every week. Being part of the larger GlamourGals network across North America has also meant I receive strategic guidance and dedicated support through leadership summits, confidence workshops, one-on-one mentorship, and opportunities to earn intergenerational and presidential volunteer service awards. GlamourGals has been a fun, meaningful, and rewarding team-building activity - with the bonus of it being community service. By volunteering our time to elderly residents in senior homes, my team and I have gained valuable skills such as empathy, communication, and leadership. We have also formed lasting friendships with each other and with the seniors we serve.