Students without means to buy a grad dress or rent a tuxedo can count on Gowns for Grads for help.The organization was started by Karen Grudesky in 2009. As a former family wellness worker in the Chinook's Edge School Division, she had long been aware that some students would struggle to buy a gown or rent a tuxedo.ìEither we would help them sew the dresses or we would take them shopping and they could work it off,î she said.However, the BSE crisis in the early 2000s and the economic downturn in the late 2000s created what Grudesky called the perfect storm.ìA lot of girls were struggling and were concerned that grad was not going to be as festive or as symbolic as maybe what we would hope,î she said.Moreover, an escalation in gown prices and accessories means the chasm between the students with resources and students without resources is widening.ìMany girls are doing the nails and the hair two or three times. It is almost like a warm-up for a wedding,î said Grudesky.In 2009, she started asking sympathetic former students to donate their gowns in exchange for a piece of jewelry she made herself. To pay for the dry cleaning and the alterations, she dedicates the profits she makes from selling her jewelry to the charity.ìThe first year, we helped three girls just by word of mouth. I thought that it was kind of neat,î said Grudesky.In 2010, Gowns for Grads helped seven girls and one guy.ìThe third year, I connected with Kristin Allan from reFind,î she said.Allan provides space in her uptown Olds store for the dresses, much to the relief of Grudesky's husband.ìWe had about 50 dresses in our basement and my husband was worried that they would be ending up in his side of the closet,î she said.Students can also take a look at the dresses in the store, instead of having to drive to Grudesky's rural home in the county.ìIn 2011, I know we gifted seven dresses,î said Grudesky.ìThere was about another 25 that were purchased at about a third of the initial cost. We gifted two tuxedo rentals.îThis year, she put letters in all the yearbooks that were sent out to previous grads.ìI have also been to a lot of the schools and talked to grad committees to explain what kind of program we could offer.îShe encourages students looking for a gown for the 2012 grad to go to reFind and look at the available dresses or go on the group's Facebook page. Should students need financial help to buy a dress, they have to talk to their family school wellness worker.For dress donations, people should just drop the garments at reFind.
