Alanna Wall of Polished Girlz Uses Nail Polish to Uplift
Meet Alanna Wall, the 19-year old founder and CEO of Polished Girlz
Alanna Wall the CEO and Founder of Polished Girlz
We all know the powerful feeling evoked by getting a fresh manicure. Polished Girlz works to brighten the days of girls with special needs or frequent hospitalizations “by bringing the trendiest nail art parties to them, while teaching them the importance of hand washing to reduce infection rates and repeated hospital admissions” - Polished Girlz Mission Statement.
Alanna created the non-profit at the age of 10. Since the creation of Polished Girlz nearly 10 years ago, you might have seen Alanna on the Ellen DeGeneres show or on Disney’s MAKE YOUR MARK or even giving her own Tedx Talk. Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Alanna is entering her sophomore year at University of Southern California where she is an Economics and International Relations/Global Business double major.
Blk Girl Culture had the pleasure of speaking with Alanna about her work in building a non-profit as a young woman and advice she might give to others who hope to do the same.
Keep reading to hear how Polished Girlz grew the simple act of painting nails into an international movement, bringing joy to tens of thousands of little girls.
Let’s talk about Polished Girlz. When did you create your organization? How did this passion form?
I loved how beautiful and powerful I felt when I got my nails done, I remembered how much of a bonding experience it was to get my nail done with my mom and grandma, and I couldn’t think a group of people that needed that feeling more than those that were hospitalized.
- Alanna Wall
Alanna: I have always had a passion for making a difference and helping others in my community. My family and I would donate our clothes that no longer fit and decorate scarves for women with breast cancer, but it wasn’t until I was sitting on my bed surrounded by nail polish my Nana gave to me that I found what I really was meant to do. I loved how beautiful and powerful I felt when I got my nails done, I remembered how much of a bonding experience it was to get my nail done with my mom and grandma, and I couldn’t think a group of people that needed that feeling more than those that were hospitalized.
After expressing my idea to my parents, we got to work, creating a name, website, social media accounts, and finding places we could serve. Initially it was difficult to find places that would allow me to polish their clients, butI did not let that deter me. Instead I contacted my first support group, a local Down Syndrome Association. I would visit their monthly meetings polishing the kids nails and keeping them occupied while their parents would get vital support and information about their healthcare needs.
“I soon realized I was doing much more than simply polishing.”
I realized that for some of these girls this was not only the first time they got their nails done, but for several of them it made them feel like a typical child. I noticed the same when polishing at the hospital. Polished Girlz was bigger than me, I was truly making a difference and every time I looked into the faces of the girls that I polished I knew that they felt the impact of what I had started with a few bottles of nail polish and some glitter. I was running a business. Not long after a few visits’ kids at my school and at my mom’s job would ask about the cool new events that I was hosting and would volunteer to visit and polish with me.
What started as just me serving people in my city continued to grow with local news coverage and social media, but it wasn’t until The Disney Channel Make your Mark special about Polished Girlz that my idea really began t take flight. Although, for the adults it was more reassuring that I was and official 501c3, for the kids they wanted to volunteer like the kid on The Disney Channel. After a while the teams began to grow not only in my city but in different states across the US as other young teens and adults realized that they could make a difference with polish as well.
Alanna with a Polished Girlz Client
I developed an online training platform and application process. Created videos and test for the new volunteers to study and get to know our client base. After about a year growing Polished Girlz I was noticed by the Ellen Show when her Executive Producer’s daughter saw my story and decided that she wanted to be like me when she grew up. Kind. That was one of the best compliments that I have ever received.
My appearance on the Ellen Show helped to foster Polished Girlz Teams nationwide and even helped to grow teams in Toronto, Canada, and Tijuana Mexico. I decided that with all of this support I could offer the one thing that many of my clients may never live or afford to see. A Ball. In 2015 the Annual Polished Girlz Ball was created in partnership with many of the companies that helped to make sure that I had enough supplies.
Volunteers from all over the country donated ball gowns and shoes, hair and makeup so that the children of St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital in New York could have a night that they would never forget. I raised over $20,000 to transform the hospital into a virtual Cinderella Palace complete with dancing, photo booth and special celebrity guest. The highlight of the evening was a young patient with a terminal illness who typically spent her days in rehab, then back into her wheelchair. During the Ball she begged to get out of rehab early because she wanted to get her hair and nails done. Once I placed her crown her nurse asked if she was ready to return to her wheelchair and proceed to the red carpet for interviews and the party. She refused. She had decided that this was Her night and she wanted to walk the red carpet with me. The nurse later told me that, was the farthest she had walked since she had been a resident/patient. I knew then, the impact of what I had created, and it was far beyond the sparkle of nail polish. Along with facilitating mini polish parties throughout the year, I am now proud and honored that the Polished Girlz Ball is now and Annual event and will continue even while in college.
What are some of your favorite things you’ve been able to do with Polished Girlz? What have been the most rewarding aspects?
Alanna: The most rewarding aspect is getting to see how excited the girls are when they see these volunteers come into their rooms with pink t-shirts and pink Caboodles full of nail polish. These girls have been through so much, so for me to be able to brighten their day even just a little absolutely warms my heart.
Alanna at the 2014 Nickelodeon Halo Awards Show.
Image credits to Michael Loccisano/Getty Images North America
There have been many amazing experiences that have come from creating Polished Girlz, like being on the Disney Channel, winning a Nickelodeon HALO Award, doing a Ted X Talk, and being on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, but I think one of my coolest experiences is getting to be the nails team lead for Raul Penaranda at New York Fashion Week.
Alanna Wall alongside fashion designer Raul Penaranda at NYFW 2018.
When I was 13 years old, I was contacted by Raul to do the nails of his models at his fall NYFW show and not only that, but I would be able to bring my own team and create the designs myself. I love fashion and thought it would be a great experience to see everything it took behind the scenes to put on a fashion show. My team and I have been polishing for Raul every season since and he has become a great friend.
How have you managed to sustain and grow Polished Girlz alongside the time-consuming job of being a college student? Are there aspects of running a non-profit that are harder than you expected? Easier?
Alanna: My parents have always stressed that school came before anything else, even before I started Polished Girlz, so for me it was pretty easy to balance the two. But, along with this my parents didn’t mind helping with the logistics of Polished Girlz, I never felt like I was running Polished Girlz on my own which was and still is amazing. But, with all that being said I still think that was one of the hardest things about starting a non-profit at such a young age is that while other kids were partying, I was working, which I didn’t mind at all because that was what I had rather been doing anyway, but it did separate me from other kids my age. Now that I look back on it, I did miss out on some things my classmates got to enjoy, but I wouldn’t trade the amazing opportunities and relationships I gained instead for the world.
Alanna Wall and a Polished Girlz Client.
What is your advice to other Black women and girls who are looking to get involved in their community but not exactly sure how?
Alanna: I would say to find something that they are passionate about or something they would like to see changed in their communities. Also, I would tell Black women and girls to not let others diminish their light. Just because what you are doing may not feel like a big deal to some, if you are affecting the life of just one person, that one person is feeling the impact of what you are doing and that impact is meaningful.
What would you say to those out there with dreams of starting their own organizations but who might not be sure how to begin?
I would tell others wanting to start businesses to go for what they believe in no matter how small or crazy the idea may seem to others. Along with this I would tell them to surround themselves with people that believe in their vision, whether they fully comprehend it or not. I would have never thought Polished Girlz would be able to have chapters in 35 states and polish over 30,000 clients, but because I had people who supported me and Polished Girlz we did. I would have never thought that I could make a difference with a such a seemingly regular item like nail polish, but it is the little things that can change how a person feels about themselves and their circumstances.
Alanna Wall of Polished Girlz
