Donate Pillowcases to Little Dresses for Africa
Since our amazing trip to Australia with Oprah, our group of 302 Ultimate Viewers has made the commitment to participate in an annual Ultimate Day “O” Service in order to give back in any way we can.
For example, in Chicago, a group volunteered at PAWS – twice! – and Atlanta viewers painted a gorgeous mural for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and spent the day with the elderly residents at Nursecare. Here, in San Diego, we started working with the Girl Scouts to help 11-year-old Miriam Mendoza spread the word about preventing domestic violence.
This year, we want to get everyone we know involved in this Ultimate Day “O” Service, which will officially take place on May 26. Farah Meadows, one of our fellow Ultimate Viewers, has discovered a fantastic nonprofit organization called Little Dresses for Africa. The group makes simple dresses out of pillowcases, and distributes them to orphanages, churches and schools in Africa (and, actually, in places in crisis around the world as well). Their goal is to “plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy.” We LOVE that.
To date, more than half a million dresses have been made and distributed to 31 different countries in Africa. Let’s get those numbers up!
Please join us in collecting pillowcases. Now is a great time to do your spring cleaning and empty out those linen closets. Ask your children’s teachers to collect pillowcases in class. Have your Girl Scout troop collect. Collect at your book club meeting.
Typically, pillowcases are turned into dresses at sewing parties – you can find the simple, four-step directions here. If you can actually sew the dresses, that’s ideal, but don’t worry if you can’t – the organization is happy to accept pillowcases and sew them themselves. They are also happy to accept tax-deductible donations to cover shipping costs.
Send pillowcases/pillowcase dresses/checks to:
Little Dresses for Africa
24614 Curtis Drive
Brownstown, MI 48134
By May 26, please let us know how many you sent. You can just leave a comment here or send us an email at info@stylesubstancesoul.com. Feel free to send us pictures of the pillowcases/dresses/sewing parties/collections as well. We want to pass all of this on to Oprah, and we will post a follow up at the end of May.
We are so excited about this project, and we know that our StyleSubstanceSoul community will help make it a huge success!
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LOVE THIS! What a wonderful way to celebrate recycling, new beginnings, giving and love. I will be scouring for those pillowcases!
ps I have posted this on FaceBook. I’m in to this!
Thrift stores are another great source for pillowcases! Thank you for sharing this great project with us.
What an amazing idea – the pictures are worth a thousand words… Just emailed both of my book clubs and plan to participate! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you! You guys are the best! We knew we could count on all of you!! Please be sure to take pictures and send us follow-ups. YAY!
I’m in! Love love love this idea. I have been making children’s clothes out of recycled garments forever. Used to have a business called Sarah June. My daughters and I will be working on these together and get you as many as possible.
Thank you just doesn’t do it. I am so proud of you and to be a small small part of something so meaningful
This is wonderful. I posted it on my facebook page. Thank you for sharing this great project.
What a wonderful project – and so easy to do. I will pass the word to my family and friends and will let you know how many I send. I’d love to see/read what everyone else is doing.
I’m so happy to be a part of this again! We can keep spreading the love and let others take part this time too!
I’m getting my sewing machine out! Thanks for sharing!
Yay I have so much fabric left from our defunked school quilting project…enought to make over 200 girls cotton dresses and trims! I will be sending them…thanks to all who donated the fabric (solana Beachers) in the first place…
j
Our organization is interested in making Pillow Case Dresses for African children. Currently we are not sure how we can distribute them . Please advise. Thank you.
Stella, if you send them to the address listed in the post, they will be distributed to the children who need them. Thank you so much! And if you send us photos, we’ll post them!