Since she was a very little girl, the now 18-year-old Alanna Wall’s favorite pastime was having her nails done. It wasn’t just the pretty polish and shiny glitter that she loved; it was also the quality time at the nail salon with her grandma and the whimsical reprieve from everyday tasks. By the time she was 10, she was determined to bring this joy to those who may especially benefit from this lighthearted indulgence: pediatric patients and girls with special needs.

“I loved the way that having my nails done made me feel: girly and special,” Wall, who goes by Lonnie and lives in Dayton, Ohio tells NBC News BETTER. “I knew that some kids didn't always feel that way — didn’t feel beautiful — and I wanted to bring that feeling to them.”

Plan A didn’t work; but plan B was pretty magnificent

Wall had a dream but she didn’t have a clear way of executing it (after all, she was only 10 years old). She tried volunteering in hospitals but was turned down for being under 15 — the minimum age for approved volunteers. Her mother, Valerie, a nurse who has believed in her daughter’s mission from the start, turned to the Miami Valley Down Syndrome Association to see if they’d be interested in letting Lonnie come in and give manicures to the girls there. They were — and Wall quickly became a favorite volunteer at the center, where she would go on to form lasting friendships.

“I’m still close with the first girl I ever polished [who I met there], Olivia, who has Down Syndrome. She’s 24-years-old now and in a way I feel like we grew up together,” Wall says. “I try to make the monthly meetings there, but if not I always see her and my other friends at the annual Christmas party.”

From a pipe dream to a registered non-profit

Working with girls at the Down Syndrome Association gave Wall the opportunity to share her time and talents with people she may not have otherwise met who enjoyed getting their nails done; but she was still determined to bring nail art to children in the hospital.

To help make this happen, she registered Polished Girlz as a 503(c). Her parents helped with all the paperwork, just as they helped her trademark the name, launch a website and establish a presence on social media.