Abigail Groff

Abigail Groff unites women across generations. Through her work as chapter president for Stanford University’s GlamourGals chapter, Abigail inspires and organizes her peers to maintain ongoing relationships with women at a local senior citizen home.
GlamourGals is a national nonprofit that seeks to end elder loneliness by organizing girls to provide facials, makeovers and manicures to the elderly female residents of nursing homes. The makeovers are an avenue for the collegiate women and their partners at the home to become friends.
Abigail shares, “Many nursing home residents feel lonely—our goal is to alleviate this loneliness and show these fantastic women that we really do care about their lives. We are interested in who they are and what their lives have held. It is so cool to sit down with a woman in her 80’s or 90’s who can tell you all about life in the 1940’s and how boys behaved back then, or how her career life was affected by the times. We have so much to learn from these women, and they are so willing to share.”
Abigail is passionate about GlamourGals because of the friendships formed across generations and the ability this program has to make women who struggled with loneliness feel beautiful and alive. She constantly thinks of ways to improve programming, recruit new volunteers, and make GlamourGals a more attractive experience for everyone. She coordinates makeover dates with the nursing home, organizes and mobilizes volunteers and secures in-kind donations with local businesses to make sure GlamourGals has the supplies necessary for a successful event.
Abigail’s nominee shared, “Abigail is unique because she not only gives residents complimentary makeovers, but she makes her visit with them an experience they will never forget. Abigail doesn’t just complete makeovers, but she creates friendships that span generations.”