Archive: Around Town

New York Fashion Week kicks off in New York City just two days before Valentine's Day. Here in Ithaca, St. John's Church is hosting its own Fashion Week event with an aim to make 300 bright, beautiful cotton dresses for needy girls of all ages.

St. John's is hosting a Dress-A-Thon at 210 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca, NY next February 14, 2015.  A broad group of volunteers of all ages has already reserved a spot at St. John's for the Dress-A-Thon.  Participants come from a variety of community groups and good-willed Ithacans.  Volunteers will help by cutting fabric, threading elastic, ironing and sewing.

The Dress-A-Thon is a local effort for a day of making dresses out of cotton pillowcases and fabric.  The finished dresses are then provided to girls around the world by Hope 4 Women International, a non-profit organization.  Since 2006, Hope 4 Women International has been delivering smiles and a sense of pride to young girls around the world through their 'make' action program, Dress A Girl Around The World.

Sometimes this is the first dress a little girl will own.  Local leaders where girls receive these dresses say that a girl wearing a new dress indicates she is cared for and may discourage would-be predators.

"It's so much fun to see this event come to life," said St. John's member, Mindy Oakes. "Our fellowship committee heard about this idea by chance, embraced it, and now we have a group of really enthusiastic volunteers ready to go, ready to sew."

More than 50 volunteers have signed up to help.

"This event is about care and compassion AND fashion," said Oakes. "What a perfect time to pull the community together to express those key factors and make a real difference in the life of a young person, actually 300 young people for that matter."

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