Manicurists to the Stars in NYC for Fashion Week provide Special Valentine’s Day Cheer (and Nail Polish Makeovers) to St. Mary’s Kids
It was manicure mania at St. Mary’s Hospital for Children on Valentine’s Day when a troop of nail art volunteers from the Polished Girlz organization, including celebrity nail artists Tom Bachik and Mr. Luis came for a visit. The Polished Girlz is a national non-profit organization founded by 15 year old Alanna Wall that hosts nail polish parties for girls with special needs and those who are hospitalized. Groups of local volunteers visit hospitals to offer patients a first-class manicure experience, which includes a glitzy nail painting session as well as a tutorial on the importance of hand washing to reduce infection. As a parting gift, the volunteers allowed St. Mary’s Kids to keep the bottle of nail polish used to paint their nails.
For St. Mary’s Kids, who are challenged by a wide range of medical conditions, including chronic illness, complications of premature birth, traumatic brain injury, and HIV/AIDS, the personalized pampering and manicures is an uplifting exercise that helps to make each child feel encouraged.
St. Mary’s kids especially enjoyed getting a polished session from Polished Girlz founder Alanna and “MAN-icurist” to the stars, Tom Bachik, renowned for his red carpet manicures for the likes of Anne Hathaway, J. Lo, Victoria Beckham and Zooey Deschanel. Bachik is also a star of the Oxygen Network show, “Nail’d It.”
“I wanted a way to make children with special needs or frequent hospitalizations feel beautiful and loved. Plus I think that glitter makes everything better!” said Alanna Wall, founder of Polished Girlz. “My one hope is to be able to host polish parties in every children’s hospital in the US where I have a Polished Girlz team.
Alanna explains that she choose to offer St. Mary’s a Polished Girlz session after meeting multi-faceted entertainer and Board Director for St. Mary’s, Nick Cannon at the 2014 Nickelodeon HALO (Helping And Leading Others) Awards. The HALO awards were created by Nick Cannon as a way to recognize and celebrate youth who have made it their personal mission to give back to their community and help others.
Alanna also shared, “I learned of St Mary’s Hospital for Children’s when I was a Nickelodeon Halo Award Honoree in November. I knew that St Mary’s was near and dear to Nick Cannon’s heart and I thought that it would be a great way to show my appreciation by helping to make Nick’s Kids feel special.”
Currently her organization has over 800 volunteers across 37 states and Canada. St. Mary’s Kids are looking forward to their next visit.
