Teacher candidate helps students Gear Up for Grad
Posted Feb 16, 2012 By Kristen CoughlarEMC News - Grade 8 graduationit's the first milestone of a person's education, and
Tiffany Harnden, a teacher candidate at Holy Family Catholic School, believes it is an achievement to be celebrated.
To that end, the Queen's University student, who will graduate this April, has launched a fundraising initiative aimed at helping her students at Holy Family dress their best for their upcoming graduation.
"This is the first time I've ever done anything like this," Harnden said. "The students there are absolutely incredible, and the faculty and staff are just really geared toward their success and giving back to them as much as they can...It inspired me to celebrate their achievement."
The initiative, aptly named Gear Up for Grad, in accepting donations of men's and women's formalwear, shoes and accessories from members of the community. Those donations will be used to help outfit a graduating student at Holy Family, thus enhancing the celebration of this milestone achievement.
"It's basically just over-priced and under-used formalwear attire that we all have sitting in our closets that a lot of people don't have the means to go out and purchase because it's really expensive," Harnden explained.
She noted that last year many students just couldn't afford the cost associated with graduation attire. Not only can it be expensive to outfit a child for graduation, but sometimes other financial obligations need to take precedence.
Harnden said that the students at Holy Family currently aren't aware of the Gear Up for Grad initiative, but she is sure they are going to be excited at the prospect of styling themselves for graduation.
She explained that prior to Christmas the school hosted a clothing drive. Items were collected throughout the school, and prior to breaking for the holidays students were given the opportunity to pick out items from all that was donated that they could then wrap as gifts for friends and family.
"The students absolutely loved it, they just freaked out," she said, adding that she believes the girls at Holy Family will be particularly excited to see the selection that has been collected through Gear Up for Grad.
"Initially (the donations) came from friends and family of mine. Then they started coming from back home in the Burlington, Hamilton, Toronto area, and just recently we've been receiving so many from Kingston."
Harnden said it's been interesting to see the items that people have found tucked away in the depths of their closets.
"Men's suits and ladies' dresses are just things we all have sitting in the back of our closets...I still had my elementary dress from Grade 8, so it's just been cool to see what people have found."
Currently Gear Up for Grad has more men's items than women's, and more donations are needed to help ensure Harnden can outfit every graduating student at Holy Family.
"I'm going to need a lot. We need a variety of sizes and styles and colours. Whatever isn't donated I would like to expand. So if we get say 1,000 dresses just for a class of 25 kids it would be perfect to give them to another school and do the same thing."
She explained that items of all kinds are being accepted to help get the students at Holy Family ready for grad, from dresses, suits, golf shirts, slacks, shoes and accessories, to unopened makeup and nail polish, new deodorant and cologne.
Items can be dropped off during school hours at the main office at Holy Family Catholic School.
Harnden noted that two weeks prior to the students' graduation on June 21, Gear Up for Grad will be hosting a shopping event for students and their families, and on the night of their graduation Gear Up for Grad volunteers will help them get ready for the big occasion.
The overall goal, Harnden said, is to celebrate the students' achievements and hopefully get them excited about continuing their academic journey.
"It's just really showing them that the community supports them...even if its something as small as just helping outfit them for their graduation it's just awesome to see them get excited."
blog comments powered by Disqus
