Our Roots Are Showing (And They Look Pretty Good)

By Linda Whitehurst, Look Good Feel Better Volunteer National Project Director

I was raised in a household that believed in the power of giving back and have served on behalf of many, many organizations.  Look Good Feel Better stands apart.

I cannot think of another organization who’s volunteer roots run so deep and so strong.  And I cannot recall another organization with which I have been involved where I have witnessed the immediate impact of my participation.

Any Look Good Feel Better professional beauty volunteer who has staffed a workshop can relate to this experience.  We walk into a room of often vulnerable and anxious strangers, united only by the fact that each is battling a horrible and scary disease.  We unpack our tools and begin to teach.

At first the room is tentative, timid.  Soon, however, the mood changes. It lifts. The smiles come. And then the laughter.  By the end, strangers have become friends.  The room is transformed, not just on the outside. As a workshop leader, I can think of no greater reward than to feel and see the impact that I can make in real time.

And the women we serve feel it too.  We receive countless comments from participants raving about their workshop leaders.  The kindness, compassion, and commitment of our volunteer trainers always comes shining through.

I’m not surprised.  Beauty professionals know how to forge special bonds with clients. You know the value of listening, connecting, and supporting.  You’ve been there for the biggest moments in peoples’ lives. Some abundantly joyous. Some crushingly sad.

Yet, today, in the midst of an unprecedented time, our volunteers stand idled. Their businesses, salons, and retail counters are closed. And, for the health and safety of the women Look Good Feel Better serves, and our volunteers and hospital partners, our in-person workshops are on hold.

This is a hard moment for beauty professionals. Still, I know that my colleagues are a resilient bunch.  I’m thrilled that our partners at the Professional Beauty Association have launched a disaster relief program to support the beauty profession and encourage you to avail yourselves of their support, or if you can, to support their efforts.

I know that you miss your clients as much as they miss you. They miss your care. Your compassion. Your ability to listen, to understand, to comfort.

And I know that you miss volunteering with Look Good Feel Better, sharing your expertise and giving of yourselves to support women going through the toughest battles of their lives.  Rest assured, we miss you too and look forward to the day we can return to normal.

Volunteers are the heart of Look Good Feel Better.

You are our roots that run deep and strong.

This year during National Volunteer Week, we honor and salute you. We celebrate you. And we #STANDSTRONG with you.