As we all know, Homecoming is a huge deal around here. This one was one for the books; it was in Disney Springs’ House of Blues, and everyone had an amazing time! However, one part of Homecoming that hasn’t received quite as much coverage was the outfit-donating initiative overseen by GenWOW. This is a thoughtful, giving program. In this article we will be getting the answers to some questions about it from Ms. Ibarra, the sponsor of GenWOW.
First, Ms. Ibarra was asked for a quick rundown of the outfit-donating system. There were questions of how students received the outfits and how the distribution worked. Ms. Ibarra explains, “GenWOW puts out an announcement on Titan TV to bring in dresses. The dresses have been collected leading up to all the dances; a couple weeks before the dance, students are told that they can choose outfits in the SAFE room.” Furthermore, it is stated that the whole thing is “confidential,” and that the turnout is “usually a handful of girls per event.” They have “recently added male apparel.”
Next, there was curiosity about what influenced GenWOW to oversee this undertaking. Why this club out of all the others? Does this project relate to GenWOW’s values? Ms. Ibarra explains that Olympia “used to have a SAFE club, so the 2 girls clubs got together to manage this.” GenWOW was also inspired by XL106.7 radio station, who does a dress drive every year, so the club wanted to “create a local version” for Olympia.
Additionally, many wanted to know about the outcomes of this system. Ms. Ibarra was asked if this year’s Homecoming outfit donations could be called a success. “It was successful, and it has been every year,” she claims. In fact, one year, Dillard’s donated “over 20 dresses” to Olympia. Ms. Ibarra even shows the sustainability of this system, explaining that “all dresses that aren’t given away are also saved for the next dance.”
There were also questions about what the goals of this initiative were. Genwow “hopes to provide dresses to students who do not have enough money to get an outfit.” This initiative is made to give everyone a chance to have a fun time at Homecoming.
Given those answers, the involvement of GenWOW piqued the interest of many. It raised the question whether GenWOW would do any similar work in the future. Ms. Ibarra states that “GenWOW will do this for black and white dance and for prom.” They also “sponsor a Salvation Army girl every Christmas” and “provide wardrobe” for them.
Overall, it sounds like this was a very successful and well-thought-out initiative. GenWOW has had a successful turnout and will be overseeing similar projects in the future.
