Potential Magazine Summer 2020 | Page 20

pay the way service based scholarships The Value in Volunteering Besides being a bullet point to add to your resume–and, honestly, just a nice thing to do–community service also opens the doors to experience life more fully and provides opportunities that may not be found elsewhere. Service can teach you about yourself, allow you to grow and hone important skills, and lead you to discover passions and life paths you never knew you could have. For teens especially, community service can also be a great way to receive scholarships for college. There can only be one valedictorian or captain of the football team; however, service allows anyone the chance to stand out in their community–and on an application. Being an active volun- teer proves that you have empathy and interpersonal skills and are committed to helping and inspiring others, especially if you display leadership within your service organization of choice. For example, many GlamourGals volunteers who either founded their local chapter or dedicated themselves to an existing chapter as an active leader have earned awards and scholarships ranging from $1,000 to full rides all because of the meaningful service they have done! GlamourGals is a nonprofit that inspires conversation and com- panionship through complimentary beauty makeovers given by teen volunteers to residents in senior homes, as up to 60% of the 1.4 million seniors in residential care in the U.S. never receive visitors. The GlamourGals program fosters these intergenera- tional connections on a national scale by organizing a network of volunteer chapters and training a movement of empathetic teen leaders to alleviate the issue of elder isolation. 60% of seniors in residential care never receive visitors 20 | Summer 2020 Starting a GlamourGals chapter is a fantastic way to make a difference while also developing imperative life and professional skills. Additionally, GlamourGals gives volunteers three ways to turn their service into scholarship and use their service experi- ence to help them achieve their academic goals. GlamourGals scholarships. Each year, Glamour- Gals awards five volunteers with a $1,000 academic scholar- ship towards their tuition for the upcoming year. Saint Peter’s University scholarships. Glamour- Gals has established a relationship with Saint Peter’s Uni- versity in Jersey City to create the Intergenerational Service Scholarship, which awards dedicated GlamourGals volunteers $20,000 per year for four years. Outstanding GlamourGals volunteers are also eligible candidates for the Presidential Scholarship Award, which is a full-tuition scholarship to attend the university. Outside scholarships. Many volunteers have earned outside scholarships and awards due to their diligent work with organizations. If you are interested in starting a GlamourGals chapter, please email [email protected]. Article Contributor: GlamourGals Foundation www.potentialmagazine.com