Nassau Teen Collects Graduation Gowns For Underprivileged Kids

SYOSSET, NY — As thousands of Long Island graduates flip their tassels and toss their caps into the air, a Syosset teenager is issuing a plea to the Class of 2020: Think twice before tossing those gowns in the trash can.

Samantha Smith, a 16-year-old entering her junior year at Syosset High School, is collecting gowns to help those less fortunate. After launching the initiative "Share A Moment" a couple weeks ago, the teen placed a cardboard collection box at the Syosset High School graduation ceremony, as well as outside two businesses in Syosset: Andrew Howard Dry Cleaners and the Philly Pretzel Factory, both on Jackson Avenue.

So far, Samantha has gathered a few dozen gowns. But she hopes to collect many, many more.

"My first priority right now is to collect as many gowns as possible," she told Patch in a phone interview Friday.

As of now, the boxes are the only method to donate. For those looking to help, the collection box will be outside Andrew Howard Dry Cleaner on Saturdays and outside Philly Pretzel Factory on Sundays. That includes this weekend, she noted.

Once collected, the gowns will be washed and shipped to school districts, which will distribute the graduation garb to teens in need who may need help affording the litany of costs associated with the ceremony. In addition to caps and gowns, students and their families often pay for photos, yearbooks, class rings, and more, which can add up for families living paycheck to paycheck.

While the exact details are still being ironed out, Samantha has been in contact with a school district in Atlanta, though if she collects enough gowns she hopes to expand elsewhere.

"That's where we're going to start," she said, noting no commitments have been made and that the coronavirus pandemic has created some additional headaches to the process.

She added: "We're in contact with school districts that we know have underprivileged kids."

The idea is actually two years in the making. At her eighth grade moving-up ceremony, Samantha was "shocked" by how many of her classmates threw out their gowns.

"When I got home, I knew there was something better that could be done with the gowns than just throw them away," she said. "So I began thinking, and I knew there must be a lot of people all over the country who don't have enough money to buy food or clothes, nevermind a graduation gown."

Furthermore, many schools require that students wear those gowns to participate in their graduation ceremony. As the pandemic threatened to cancel kids' graduations this year, the idea came back. She saw how many graduates and their families were heartbroken over possibly missing the ceremony, and realized there are kids who have to deal with that every year.

"There's kids all over the country who don't get to experience their graduation each year because they don't have a graduation gown," she said. "I knew there was something I had to do."

Samantha's goal is to deliver the gowns by early 2021, or at least by the time the Class of 2021 is set to graduate.

So far, the community feedback has been "amazingly positive."

"So many people throughout the community have been extremely supportive," she said.

She felt excited to see her flyer posted on the official Instagram page of South Woods Middle School.

View this post on Instagram

South Woods alumni go on to change the world! So proud of Samantha! @shareamoment_ @syostrong #wearesouthwoods
A post shared by South Woods Middle School (@southwoodsms) on Jul 9, 2020 at 2:13pm PDT

To boot, she was pleased after seeing a Syosset graduate light up after donating his gown.

"It made me feel really great," she said. "I didn't expect the people giving them would be filled with such happiness. It was really nice to see how this is not only affecting the people receiving the gowns, but also the people giving them."

Those looking for more information can email Samantha at ShareAMoment@Outlook.com or contact her through her page's Instagram and Facebook pages. For now, she's accepting gowns only.