WHAT IS GLAMOURGALS?
GlamourGals' mission is to build leadership skills among young women while addressing the isolation and loneliness among elderly women living in senior facilities. These two populations connect through a familiar and simple activity: makeovers. GlamourGals was founded in 2000 by Rachel Doyle, who has since expanded the organization to almost 1000 volunteers in fifty chapters around seven states.
GlamourGals, Inc. is an independent 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization addressing two critical issues facing our country: The growing isolation and loneliness of our elderly population, caused by demographic shifts and institutionalization; and the growing bias and disconnectedness of our teenage population, caused by the excesses of a self-absorbed culture.
GlamourGals has created a scalable network of local Chapters all over the US, each with 10-20 volunteers led by a chapter president. These chapters go to nursing homes at least once a month to give makeovers to the elderly women. Such Chapter Presidents and the volunteers they lead are on the fast track to becoming well-rounded teen leaders who care about an elderly population that has shaped their past and concerns their future. As Chapter Presidents, these leaders have the opportunity to demonstrate their local leadership abilities through our chapter system; expand their leadership skills by attending our 3 national events: the GlamourGals Leadership Training Institute, the Chapter President Meeting, and Glamour in the City, all of which provide forums for the volunteers to share, set goals, and be recognized for their volunteer work with GlamourGals; and become more compassionate citizens through the direct service they provide on a regular basis to elderly women isolated in local senior facilities.
WHY IS GLAMOURGALS SO IMPORTANT?
America’s elderly population is on track to reach 72 million in the next 25 years, and the needs and quality-of-life issues of the elderly living in senior facilities are a primary concern for our culture. At the same time, teenagers are bombarded with a youth obsessed culture (i.e.. E! Channel’s Dr. 90210) and media images of self-indulgent teens (i.e., MTV’s My Super Sweet Sixteen) that promote ageism and disconnect them from the elderly.
GlamourGals addresses the problem of isolation by creating valuable relationships between teenagers and the elderly residing in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and senior centers across the nation. Through GlamourGals’ fifty existing chapters, teens are committing to regularly scheduled visits at local senior facilities to provide complimentary facials, makeovers and, most importantly, companionship. In turn, the teens feel a deep connection to the older generation and are inspired to reject the self-centered, youth-obsessed culture that surrounds them for an emotionally mature network of teen role models.
Dr. Brent Ridge, Assistant Professor, Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development at Mount Sinai School of Medicine also feel’s that the answer to this social problem is through intergenerational interaction.
“Our language and our culture is replete with negative references and images that denigrate aging. According to a recent study, 70% of older men and more than 80% of older women seen on television are portrayed disrespectfully, treated with little if any courtesy, and often looked at as “bad”. Age stereotypes are not just culturally damaging. New research is also showing that patients exposed to these images subsequently develop physical manifestations such as increased depression and memory loss and worsening cardiovascular and musculoskeletal function. They become ‘old’ because that’s what society expects them to do. A key tactic in changing these stereotypes [is] in breaking the barriers that exist between the oldest and youngest members of our society. The intergenerational learning experienced by the participants in the Glamour Gals program will have a tremendous effect.”
Research indicates youth from families that emphasize and nurture intergenerational relationships tend to have positive perceptions of the elderly.1 This is important because despite the sheer number of elderly living in our society, our nation’s youth and adults alike continue to hold misconceptions and biases about the elderly regarding their physical, mental and social characteristics. Many factors contribute to the prevalence of ageism, including the media, society and our own ignorance. GlamourGals offers healthy intergenerational relationships to teens regardless of whether their own families provide such opportunities.
There are many things contributing to our teens being alienated and isolated from the elderly. Faced with self- indulgent media images and dysfunctional families, it is easy for a teenager to become hopeless and cynical. Teens participating in GlamourGals:
***Know they can personally make a difference
***Belong to a group with a clear focus, specific outcomes and personal accountability
***Have ownership in and can lead something important like a chapter of GG volunteers
***Connect through a national network of teen leaders
***Learn the necessary skills for organization, marketing, public relations, logistical planning, outcome assessment and leadership.
WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK ABOUT GLAMOURGALS?
Consider the following quotation from the Advisor of a GlamourGals Chapter in Brooklyn:
“Our students [participating in the GlamourGals chapter] are very impoverished and come from homes of incarcerated parents, single parents, etc., and are sponsored to attend a private school. Coming up with any money is often impossible (I paid the 100 dollar fee for the group). A lot of the girls in this group don't readily excel academically, but they do an amazing job with these women (and men! They never want to leave the nursing home and will play games and do manicures and massages for the guys as well) so this has been a really positive experience for these girls who often don't feel like they belong or come from homes where they don't feel loved. That's an aspect of his organization that's been amazing.”
— Advisor to a GG Chapter in the NYC area
Consider the following quotation from Oprah Winfrey:
"Rachel Doyle has discovered there is nothing like a beauty makeover to lift the spirits of a
woman, no matter what her age."
--- Oprah Winfrey, "The Oprah Winfrey Show"
A director of a nursing facility puts it this way:
“On behalf of the residents of the Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, I wish to thank you for the outstanding program you presented at our facility.... Most of all, I wish to thank you and your volunteers. The experience you provide for our residents is uplifting and truly enriches the quality of their lives. The attention they received made them feel like a star.”
— Isabel Kellerman, Director of Therapeutic Recreation, Margaret Tietz
The GlamourGals national organization provides many opportunities for the volunteers to develop skills to become more effective leaders within their chapters through opportunities such as our national GlamourGals Leadership Training Institute and regional MegaMakeovers. These events are just two of the program’s portfolio which allow volunteers to connect, share and learn about what it is to be a well rounded leader.
A 2005 graduate of Cornell University, Rachel Doyle is the President and Founder of GlamourGals. Rachel started GG at the age of 17 in honor of her grandmother. Her motivation to create compassionate teen leaders and bring dignity to aging women has led to considerable media attention. She has been profiled on CNN, in The New York Times, The Oprah Winfrey Show, CBS’s The Early Show, Glamour Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Newsday, among many other publications. Rachel’s philosophy is “to manage GlamourGals with the brains of a business but the heart of a charity.”
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Posted 12/18/07 by
Star Li
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Posted 09/03/07 by
Brad Byrne
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Glamour Gals
