Teen launches Dress to Impress to collect formal wear for needy

Going to your formal or graduation is a right of passage for young people in high school.

It’s one most take for granted, but not 18-year-old Devyn Pulver.

She has been collecting formal wear donations so that everyone can Dress to Impress for high school formal and graduation.

“Not everyone can afford to buy a $600 dress for graduation. When I was in grade eight, we had to go to a thrift store,” recalls Pulver, explaining that her family hasn’t always been able to afford dress clothes.

The soon-to-be-grad from Georgian Bay District Secondary School says the idea came after someone asked her if she needed a dress for graduation.

Then, as all activists do, she thought about accepting more dresses for others in need, and she said to herself, “I can do this on a bigger scale.”

Now with the help of Georgian College, the local Youth Hub at Chigamik, and a collection box coming to the Midland Library, local teens in need can find the right suit and tie or dress for graduation or formal without having to break the bank to do it.

Pulver explains that the clothes will be available for free. The Youth Hub at Chigamik will host a few “shopping days” for young people to look through the fast-expanding inventory of formal wear to find the pieces that suit their style.

The humble teen quickly points out that there are other larger free formal wear campaigns in Barrie, which also has a greater selection of thrift stores.

Pulver adds travelling to Barrie can be a challenge for some families beyond financial barriers when considering how to look your best for formal events.

All the clothes she is collecting will be offered out to local teens in the community for free so there are no constraints around money.

“We are collecting for the campaign to end Period Poverty. So people can bring a box [of tampons or pads] if they would like to bring something, but it is not a requirement.”

Not only does Pulver stay active creating her own initiatives to make the community better for her peers through offering free formal wear, but she’s also involved in the ending period poverty campaign that her classmate started — Let’s Change the Cycle.

“[People] can spend $7 on a box of tampons, rather than $700 on a dress.”

So far, Pulver has collected roughly 350 items, and more donations will be coming in through the spring in the lead up to grad and prom.

If there is overstock, Pulver plans to pay it forward to an initiative that collects clothes for young people for interviews and for work. She says she could also donate what is left to the Caring Closet in Coldwater, or pass the work along to her little sister who is currently in grade nine.

This is not the first time Pulver has started a charitable effort. After connecting with her Métis roots in a deeper way, she learned more about beadwork, and it became a cultural touchstone and a creative outlet for the gifted craftswoman.

She started making earrings and animal-related items that she has sold to raise funds for the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

While Pulver says she always knew she was Métis, it wasn’t until she connected with the Georgian Bay Métis Council that everything changed for her.

Once her family sorted out their citizenship, she began attending workshops through the Métis Council. That’s where she learned how to make drums, and about traditional beadwork.

She says she still hears racial slurs from her peers like ‘pretendian’ or ‘half-blood’.

“It’s like I’m too white to be indigenous and too indigenous to be white,” explains Pulver of the adversity she faces living as a proud Métis woman.

“I’m kind of in the middle of both,” says Pulver who was glad to connect with other Métis citizens.

“Now I know what it means to be Métis. I’m proud of my ancestry and my culture, and I like sharing that with everyone. Becoming part of the community made me feel more like it’s a real thing.”

Pulver is considered a change-maker by her teacher Angie Marion, and has no trouble making her passions a real thing working for others through grassroots campaigns to make her community better.

If you have anything you would like to donate to Dress to Impress, look for the collection boxes around town, or contact Devyn Pulver via Facebook.