The Glamour Gals include (l-r) Chloe Danesi, Makayla Dinon, Juana Peña, Mia Felizzi, Lyla Wolf and Reese Bellinger. Photos provided
By Faran Fagen
Lyla Wolf holds a wrinkled hand while gently brushing fingernails bright pink. Wolf’s school mates decorate nails the same way — with 50 assorted colors — while they talk to the senior citizens about family, movies, politics and whatever else is on their minds.
It doesn’t matter the topic — the residents at the Atrium at Boca Raton are just grateful to have a young person to chat with during a complimentary manicure.
“Our goal is not just to provide fun cosmetic services for free, but to brighten seniors’ days and give them something to look forward to once or twice a month,” said Wolf, a 17-year-old senior at Boca Raton High School.
Wolf is the founder and president of Glamour Gals, a Boca High club dedicated to providing senior citizens with companionship and conversation through manicures and makeovers.
The Gals have been gracing the nursing home for the past year and a half.
The residents “still love us and recognize us every single time,” Wolf said.
Wolf started this club chapter in February 2024 as a sophomore because she wanted to find ways to give back to her community.
The last time Wolf saw her own great-grandmother was in a nursing home in Canada. One night, her great-grandmother was so in need of company that she even asked Wolf to sleep over in her room. Wolf stayed the night, and when the opportunity arose to create Glamour Gals, she seized the moment. The only Boca Raton chapter of the national nonprofit was born at Boca High.
“I’ve seen the club grow tremendously in popularity within the school,” said biology teacher and Glamour Gals sponsor Alessandro Contessa. “That’s likely because of the genuine experiences students have spending one-on-one time with elderly people from their community. The seniors love the attention from the high schoolers so much, even men will line up for clear nail polish sometimes.”
Twins Aline and Celine Barakat with a resident at the Atrium at Boca Raton assisted living.
Contessa said the students — ranging from 20-30 per visit — get just as much from the experience as the seniors. “It’s hard for a lot of high school students to find fun, meaningful community service that makes a tangible impact, and we provide that for them,” Contessa said. “Club members always tell me how much they love volunteering, and how happy and fulfilled they feel afterwards.”
Wolf estimated that about 60% of nursing home residents don’t get visitors, so the Gals aim to provide some sort of consistent companionship.
“They’re always ecstatic to see us and are usually already seated in the manicure area, waiting,” Wolf said.
“The students love getting to chat with different types of people while still getting to have fun and give manicures.”
The Gals also meet once or twice a month in Contessa’s room to write letters and create bookmarks to give the seniors during visits.
They smile as they read the kind messages and often ask the Gals to write their names on their creations.
The club has to limit volunteers as too many sign up to attend a single assisted living community. They will soon be volunteering at several more elderly communities in the area. But for now, they’re sticking with the Atrium — about a mile away from the school on Northwest 15th Street — to get familiar with the residents.
The seniors get sad when the Gals have to leave.
Usually after the manicures, they sit to talk and enjoy each other’s company.
“As the students hold hands and partake in a genuine act of care with the elderly, listening to them and sharing stories while making their hands look beautiful, both parties are enriched by the experience,” Contessa said.
“I can’t praise president Lyla Wolf enough.”
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