Students and staff at Olds High School (OHS) are gearing up for the third annual Gowns4Grads&Tuxes2 (G4G&T2) gala.
The event, in which gowns or suits are gifted or sold to grads according to their need, takes place Nov. 3 and 4 at the OHS commons.
On Nov. 3, the gowns and tuxes or suits will be shown at the gala, a fashion show, which begins at 7 p.m. On Nov. 4, students and their families will be able to choose a gown, suit or tux that works for them.
Funds raised go into an account to cover the cost of maintaining the program. That can include cleaning or altering donated items. It can also include buying or renting formal wear if organizers don't have anything that meets the grads' needs.
Karen Grudeski got the idea for the project three years ago to obtain gently used gowns for female grads who couldn't afford new ones. Later, it was expanded to provide suits for male grads.
For the past couple of years, organizers have sent formal wear that hasn't been chosen and has been sitting around a while to places as far away as Whitehorse and Mexico, as well as various other communities in Alberta.
Donations are taken during October. They can be dropped off at OHS during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tane Skotheim, who, along with several others, helps students organize the event, says it's fantastic.
"It's actually a really fun night," she says. "We have students to volunteer to model. We call for students from across Chinook's Edge School Division, so in a way it's kind of a team-building thing too, because the students meet other students."
Skotheim notes it's more than just youth modelling formal wear. Students from the cosmetology class, along with local hairdressers get the models ready for the runway.
In total, about 50 people are involved in G4G&T2 in one way or another.
"We have students who come at 3:30 in the day and they're not finished until 9 o'clock at night and they're volunteering their time," Skotheim says.
"Some of them are modelling, some of them are MCing events, some of them are helping the models get in and out of the gowns, some of them are doing the hair and the makeup."
Last year, local restaurants provided food for volunteers. Skotheim is hopeful that will happen again this year.
"Some of the members of our football team donated their time and their gas and their vehicles, and they drove around town and did the pickup for us and brought the food back, and then the volunteers could have dinner, so it was really nice," she says.
Skotheim says if anyone would like to help make the event happen, there are several ways to get involved.
One is to donate current gowns or suits that are clean and in good repair.
Another option is to donate food for the potluck supper.
Yet another way is to help fit the gowns or suits, or help with the hairdressing and makeup. If you can do that, please contact Karen Grudeski at 403-335-4568.
"We call for students from across Chinook's Edge School Division, so in a way it's kind of a team-building thing too, because the students meet other students."TANE SKOTHEIM ORGANIZER
