Clarendon Hills Teen Serves Others With First Communion Mission

CLARENDON HILLS, IL — As a 17-year-old high school junior, James Buffardi may not have a clear recollection of his own first Communion. But he knows what the day can mean for Catholics who watch their children experience the holy sacrament for the first time in their lives.

As meaningful as the occasion can be, however, making sure that one’s son or daughter is properly dressed for the event isn’t a cheap proposition, Buffardi realizes. And so when the Clarendon Hills teenager was trying to figure out a way he could better serve his community, Buffardi — with a little help from his mother, Jennifer — came up with a notion that may take some of the stress of first Communion away for some of his neighbors.

Buffardi, who attends Benet Academy, has started a not-for-profit organization in which he collects gently worn first Communion dresses and suits and donates them to those in need. So far this year, Buffardi, who attends Notre Dame Catholic Church in Clarendon Hills, has collected 37 dresses and 17 suits that have been donated and is now placing into the hands of parents who otherwise may not have been able to afford to buy the clothing for their children.

“Being a Christian and a Catholic, it’s important to me to be able to help people,” Buffardi told Patch on Thursday. “(First Communion) is one of the most important sacraments as a Catholic and knowing somebody might not be able to afford a dress or suit on a special day for them and for their child, it makes me really sad. Everyone deserves to have this special sacrament and by being able to give them suits or dresses is something that is taking care of something for them and I’m proud to be able to do so.”

The idea of collecting and donating gently used first Communion clothing was hatched in the laundry room of the Buffardi family home. Jennifer Buffardi was trying to remove a stain from the first Communion dress worn by her daughter, Cecilia, and was trying to determine what she would do with the dress once the stain was gone. Would she store it away for safe keeping? Would she hand it down to her daughter to be one day passed along to another young girl? Or, Jennifer and her son thought at the same time, could special clothes like these be donated?

While many first Communion outfits are used only once, Jennifer and James figured there had to be a way for other people to use the clothing. Jennifer posted to a Mom’s list on social media to determine if such an idea would go over and if so, where could they find donations?

Once Jennifer and her son determined there was a need, James went to work.

He posted the idea to Clarendon Hills-area Facebook groups seeking people either in need of first Communion clothing or those who would be willing to donate items. Since launching the organization, Buffardi has driven around the greater Chicagoland area to pick up donations and has used connections with area religious leaders to connect with people in need of the clothing for their children.

Church leaders have connections through either their local parish or through other agencies like food pantries to determine who may be able to use the clothing Buffardi ha collected by driving up to an hour away from home to pick up.

Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Buffardi gives those in need options of how they pick up the clothing. Buffardi will either put a number of dresses in a protective bag on his front porch for parents to choose from or allows parents to bring their child by the Buffardi’s home to try the clothing on.

Otherwise, he will meet the recipient at a local church for the clothing drop-off to ensure safe delivery of the outfit that will be worn for an upcoming Communion ceremony. Now, a collecting mission that started 18 months ago and that has been impacted by the pandemic is really starting to take shape, which brings Buffardi an indescribable sense of joy.

“I’m really happy with what I am able to do for my community,” Buffardi said. “It always makes me happy when people are accepting our donations. I’ve worked hard on this and I’ve been wanting to give back to the community and being able to see (people’s) smiling faces and being able to help them makes me happy that I’m able to do something like that.”

He added: "I want to be able to take this as far as I can but I definitely see it growing, especially with the need that exists for these suits and dresses."

To donate to the effort or to pass along someone who may be in need of a first Communion dress or suit, contact James Buffardi by email at jrbuffardi2@gmail.com or on Facebook.