Local girl appears on Ellen Degeneres show

A 12-year-old Dayton native was featured on The Ellen Show today as the volunteer organization she founded continues to grow.

Alanna Wall, founder of “Polished Girlz,” said she started the organization to help ladies in hospitals feel more “polished” by painting their fingernails.

The nail sessions, which include a friendly visit and hand washing education at area hospitals, can range from plain painted nails to fancy designs.

“We usually just choose children’s hospitals or the Ronald McDonald house or any special needs group that we can polish at,” Alanna told News Center 7.

Alanna said she began "Polished Girlz" at 10 years old to lift the spirits of sick girls, and the nonprofit organization has since grown to have chapters in Illinois, California, New York, Rhode Island, and Washington D.C.

“I want to be worldwide. I want to be everywhere,” Alanna said. “We’ve already gotten emails from places as far away as the Netherlands and Columbia; so that’s super cool.”

Alanna and her organization have been named United Way Volunteers of the Month receiving a proclamation from the mayor of the city of Dayton for the work they do.

Ellen teamed up with CoverGirl to give Alanna an entire line of nail polish and a $10,000 check to help her grow the nonprofit.

“I enjoy what I am doing because I get to make girls smile and feel special,” Alanna, who attends Richard Allen Elementary School in Dayton, told the Dayton Daily News in 2011. “I also love that I get to teach them about how important hand washing is and that it can keep them from being sick as often.”

Megan Kennedy is working as an intern at WHIO TV from the University of Dayton

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