Look Good Feel Better Volunteer Spotlight: Peggy Rose

I started working with the Look Good Feel Better program when I was of leaving the beauty field to go do work that could really help people when I found this program.  My mother had cancer and waited too long to go in for treatment. She was afraid. She suffered for years afterwards with the affects of treatment. But one thing she would say is that when she put on some lipstick and combed her hair, she felt ready for the day… I remembered that and thought, maybe I could help someone feel that by doing volunteering.

The Look Good Feel Better program is so  empowering.  When people come into the the class they are often feeling powerless. They have no control over what is happening to their bodies, their minds, their souls. But with LGFB they learn that with a few “tricks” of the hand, they can fool the eye and look better and consequently, feel better, They feel empowered.  They now have the “tools” to create a feeling that goes along with looking good–confidence.  They are now ready to face the day.

I have been doing this program for over 19 years… now as a trainer and before as a group leader.  During this time I have seen people come into the class feeling lost, hopeless, and ugly.  But by the end of the class they feel HAPPY. They are giggling and laughing. They are sharing. They are loving.  This fact was brought home by the story of a woman who participated in my friend Sandy’s breast cancer support group.  She came into the class with such sorrow and brokenness. She was ready to give up and die.  She participated in the Look Good, Feel Better class and after she put eyebrows and lips on, she started to smile… weeks later, Sandy called me and said- “Peggy Rose, you won’t believe this…then she went on to tell me that this woman was a different person now.  She is full of life and living it!  She said Look Good, Feel Better was the reason!”

Looking back on what I enjoy the most about working with the program it has to be helping people to see they have the power within themselves to change what they are feeling. Whether they are becoming a facilitator or they are a participant, they can change the mood around them.  They may not be able to change the circumstances but they can change their attitude. They can help themselves and help others. By being in a group setting they are creating the mysterious network of “hope & healing”.  Nobody is saying that you have to use this type of make up or use this salon or pay this much money or see this doctor… this program is completely FREE, Non Medical, and product/salon neutral.  There is no pressure for anyone to be or do anything but have fun.  Sometimes getting to this point takes a little bit of time but once they open the generous LGFB kits filled with well over $250 worth of skincare and makeup– they are in heaven!  From laughing about getting eyebrows that look like Groucho Marx’s to finding a pretty shade of lipstick, these people are engaged in making themselves feel better.

I volunteer for the program because I feel like my purpose in life is to help others to see life is beautiful and no matter what the circumstances, we can find hope and love.  This program is one small piece of a very big puzzle called life and it is one that I get to help put in place… How can I stop doing this when the puzzle is so big and so many people need to know they can participate by sharing the good news? What many people do not realize is that they are not alone… this program is a “back-door” support group. The make up is just the frosting.  We are building a beautiful picture of life  born of sorrow but held together with love…  That is why I continue to volunteer. I can make a difference by using my skills to help another person feel alive…