Chelsea Strutton

Writer

Changing lives one stitch at a time, the Marlow High School Family and Consumer Science (FCS) students have been busy creating dresses for the young girls living in Vanuatu.

Positioned east of Australia, Vanuatu is made up of roughly eighty islands stretching over eight hundred miles.

With plans of sending over sixty dresses to Vanuatu this year, the Marlow High School FCS students have been busy at work preparing the many dresses that will go on to change the lives of the young girls of Vanuatu.

Assisting the students through each step of the dress making process is FCCLA adviser Tamra May.

When asked what she hopes her students learn, May spoke about the impact she has seen in her students throughout the years of participating in the community service project.

“There is so much more that they learn other than just sewing a dress,” said May. “When they see the dress on a girl across the world, it really affects them emotionally. I hope they walk away with the feeling that they could do something here just as well as what we do for the girls over there.”

So far, the dresses have already positively influenced the Marlow FCS students.

Freshman Payton Ortega voiced the lessons she has learned throughout working on the project.

“I have learned that we take advantage of the things we have,” explained Ortega. “These girls and women are happy to receive something as simple as a dress.”

Having already made two dresses with her partner, Ortega also expressed both her small and wide scale goals for the project.

“I hope to not only impact the girls there but to make an impact on the people in Marlow,” said Ortega. “I want people to want to make a positive impact in others’ lives, even if it’s not something huge.”

From choosing fabric to remaining focused on their goals, the Marlow High School FCS students will continue to dedicate themselves to each project they take on and bring a smile to each person they impact.