In five months, Grade 7 students across the North Shore will say farewell to their respective elementary schools before transitioning into secondary school.
Though perhaps not accompanied by the same pomp and circumstance as high school graduation festivities, elementary schools also hold year-end celebrations for their departing students and, much like the Grade 12s, the Grade 7s will often mark the occasion in formal wear.
Realizing that not every family can afford a fancy new outfit for their child, Elena Grant, owner of Sofiabella tween clothing store in Edgemont Village, decided to start collecting gently used dresses for Grade 7 students in North Vancouver who could use some extra help. Grant has dubbed her donation drive 44 Dresses - named for North Vancouver School District 44. By word-ofmouth alone, she's already gathered more than 70 girls' dresses, a few pairs of shoes and some boys' button-down shirts.
"It was overwhelming," she says of the quick response. "This community particularly is just so generous."
The very first donation came from her own home.
"My daughter's Grade 7 dress is still hanging in her closet. She's in Grade 11 now, she's never going to wear it again, and I'm sure all of her friends are in the same boat."
Grant encourages other parents to take a look in their own closets.
"If somebody has a dress that their daughter enjoyed, and if they can pass that along to somebody else and spread that joy to another girl, it's a win-win for both the giver and the receiver."
Grant says she recognizes a new party dress is a small gesture for a young girl in need, but she also knows the positive effect one's attire can have on self-esteem.
"I've never been one of those to subscribe to the idea you are what you wear, but I certainly appreciate fashion and I know how I feel when I wear an outfit that just makes me feel good about myself," she says. "You walk a little bit taller and you just have a little bit more confidence and I just want every girl to experience that feeling."
Before starting 44 Dresses, Grant first contacted the Cinderella Project, a registered charity that encourages youth to stay in school and collects formal attire for Grade 12 students attending graduation. But the project does not take donations for elementary students, Grant confirmed.
She was initially inspired to lend a hand after talking with her longtime friend Lisa Upton, principal of Norgate Community Elementary, at their sons' basketball game. Upton has worked as a school administrator on the North Shore for many years and although the region is generally considered affluent, she says need exists in every community.
"The statistics in B.C. are sad. One in five kids lives in poverty and so that means if you look around our community, regardless of whatever school we're at, one in five kids needs a little bit of extra help," she says. "I have found that regardless of whatever the socioeconomic demographic is, there are always families that could benefit from help."
Because Norgate is an officially designated community school, it is comfortable reaching out for assistance beyond school walls, Upton explains.
"It's really easy to ask for help here," she says, "but there are lots of other schools that don't have those kinds of support already in place, where asking for help becomes more difficult because there's a greater feeling of isolation and shame."
Dresses, shoes and accessories aside, Upton hopes every Grade 7 feels special and confident at their elementary school farewell celebration.
"It's not so much the what you wear, it's the how you feel."
Donations to 44 Dresses will be accepted into the spring and can be dropped off at Sofiabella, located at 3068 Highland Blvd., North Vancouver. Grant is seeking dresses in a girls' size 10 to a women's small. She is also open to donations of dressy shirts for boys.
