The Growth of a Leader
Chase E. of Bloomfield High School reflects on skills developed through GlamourGals and expresses gratitude for the meaningful experiences at senior homes.
Before Covid, going into my local nursing home was the highlight of my week. I dedicated numerous hours to talking to the seniors and providing companionship for them, which brought me a great deal of joy. I would paint their nails and do crafts with them while talking about anything and everything. Now, since we are unable to see them in person, my co-president and I put together baskets with activities, letters, crafts, holiday decorations, and more. Being able to see them, even through a glass door, is meaningful, and seeing the smiles on their faces makes our work worth it.
My GlamourGals experience has influenced me in so many ways, not only as a leader, but also as an individual. To me, this organization is so much more than a chance to do makeovers, it provides each volunteer with numerous skills that will be prevalent for the rest of our lives. I have been able to develop communication skills, which is one of the most important skills for anyone with any job. One of the skills that I have learned throughout my time at GlamourGals is the ability to take initiative, not only as a president, but as a volunteer as well. At the nursing homes, I took the initiative to begin conversations with seniors who were lonely. During quarantine, I planned activities and events for my chapter's volunteers to keep us all involved despite our inability to physically be in nursing homes. Being able to step up will be important throughout college and will help me contribute in my future workplace. Through my involvement with GlamourGals, I have learned to be empathetic.
Treating people with respect on a daily basis is one of the most important things a leader can do; it will create trust and improve effectiveness and efficiency of the completion of tasks. Being co-president of Bloomfield High School’s chapter has taught me to lead by example. I want all of our volunteers to get the full experience of GlamourGals to really understand the meaning behind it. Words cannot express how grateful I am for the bonds I have made and the skills I have developed by being a part of GlamourGals.
GlamourGals is very important to my community; everyone was interested the first year that it started. Our first visit was so touching because of how appreciated and loved the seniors felt. I could tell some of them do not get many visitors and seeing that many of our usual seniors looked forward to our visits made me feel like I was able to contribute to my community. It truly was some of the seniors' main source of happiness. I feel like this club teaches the youth to respect our elders, which is extremely important. GlamourGals has made such an impact on my community and I am confident that it will stay around for generations to come.
