GlamourGals: Bridging the gap between generations

Rachel Doyle was only 17 when she gave her first GlamourGals makeover in 2000. A junior in high school in Commack, New York, she sought a way to honor her grandmother who had recently passed away. As a lover of fashion and makeup, she came up with the idea to go to a local senior living home and offer makeover services to its residents. She dragged along two of her classmates from homeroom, knowing they needed some community service hours, and spent some time with three lovely ladies at the senior home, painting their nails and chatting about life.  

Her efforts that day gained the attention of several local newspapers and The New York Times. With this momentum, she continued to run GlamourGals in her community as a simple service project throughout the rest of her high school career. The organization expanded as it sparked interest in girls in many other communities who worked towards creating chapters of their own. Eventually, in her freshman year of college, GlamourGals officially became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.

Doyle and her volunteers aim to combat the effects of elder isolation, the result of placing seniors in residential care, away from their communities and the society they participated in every day for decades. In fact, according to the GlamourGals website, about 60% of the approximately 3.3 million seniors who will find themselves in residential care this year will not receive any visitors. Doyle urges people to consider the residents of senior homes and how lonely their situations must get, and take action to provide them with some friendly human interaction. GlamourGals volunteers not only get the chance to develop their bedside manners and get community service hours, but gain the knowledge of wonderful elderly women with interesting stories to share.

Now, Doyle lives in Paris with her husband and two young children. She takes whatever opportunity she can get to speak with and empower young women in her communities. On January 31, she spoke at Stevens’ Lore-El Center, answering participants’ questions and having a laid-back fireside chat. She shared the obstacles she encountered on her way to being the CEO of a nonprofit organization, including taking business conference calls in a closet between her classes in college and struggling to balance her busy professional and personal lives.

Doyle’s story is a testament to what one can accomplish when they have passion and dedication. She never found herself on an easy path to success; she simply had a good idea and worked hard to transform it into a national organization that brings generations together and spreads joy in many communities. Doyle reminds young people that they can accomplish whatever they set their hearts to through determination and perhaps bribing a few professionals with a cup of coffee. If all else fails, Doyle recommends sitting back and turning on the Jennifer Lopez movie Gigli — a reminder to yourself that even J.Lo has her low moments in life.