The WE GlamourGals club, which launched this spring at West Essex, is turning small acts of kindness into meaningful moments of connection. The club works with residents at the Sunrise of West Essex senior living facility in Fairfield through regular visits focused on friendship, conversation and simple beauty services such as nail painting, light makeup and hairstyling.
Beyond being just makeovers, club members say these sessions create a relaxed and welcoming space where students and seniors can talk, laugh and build genuine relationships across generations.
“I was talking with this one lady and she was talking about how her family lives far away, so they don’t get the chance to visit that much, and while she was speaking with me she said she loved that I started this club so people like her can have young people to talk to,” sophomore club President Jordan Salisbury said.
The main goal for this club is to connect with older residents and make them feel supported, Salisbury said, and the club has already made a lasting impact and helped so many.
“All of the girls in the club have been loving it so far!” Salisbury said. “In the future I can see this club really expanding in West Essex.”
Part of the national GlamourGals Foundation movement, the club emphasizes confidence and companionship for seniors while giving students an opportunity to develop leadership skills, empathy and a stronger sense of community involvement. The girls are also able to practice skills such as painting nails, doing makeup and learning to be a strong conversationalist.
“It’s a great opportunity to talk to other older women who you may not be related to,” sophomore club member and Public Relations officer Charlotte Lennon said. “It also shows you how happy they get when you’re painting their nails and doing their makeup.”
As young women grow older, their appearance might change, but the little things that make a girl feel pretty always remain the same, Lennon said.
“Some even had inspirational pictures of what they wanted on their nails,” she said. “I also just love doing their makeup and nails to make them feel confident about themselves in general.” Lennon said.
When seniors reach this time in their life, their connection with family can become distant, so having someone that acts as a granddaughter to them can be something so heartwarming that even short visits make a huge difference in their day.
“They are so easy to talk to because they have so much more in common than you think,” Lennon said. “Many people assume that older individuals are harder to talk to, but in reality they are just as easy as talking to one of your friends.”
The WE GlamourGals officers said they plan to advertise the club by putting flyers, preferably pink, around school to grab the eyes of future members. For more information about WE GlamourGals, including recaps of the visits, scheduling and reminders, visit the club’s Instagram: @WEGlamourGals
