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Partly Cloudy Repurposing used uniforms to help students in need
Vanessa Osse earned the most prestigious award in Girl Scouts by making a sustainable impact in her community. As a result, more students at her former high school, Long Island Lutheran, now have access to items of clothing that comprise the school’s uniform.
“Uniform Collection” was the name of the project that Osse worked on at Long Island Lutheran, in 2021 and 2022, before she graduated that year. For her Gold Award, Osse, 19, of Baldwin, developed a collection drive in which students at the Brookville school could donate used uniforms, which were then repurposed and given to other students in need. She also created a system that made it easy for students to request uniform components that they need.
“My goal for this project was to create a collection drive for students that couldn’t afford uniform components,” explained Osse, who’s now a sophomore at Emory University in Atlanta. “I was at a private school, and the cost of tuition was already high, and uniforms could place a further financial burden on families.”
Osse noted that she wanted to alleviate financial strain on the students and families at Long Island Lutheran by creating this marketplace. Students would be able to both donate and request uniform components, including shirts, sweaters, pants and skirts. She worked with Principal Jessica Raba to advertise the project, and it became a huge hit in the school.
“I also collaborated with my school again to make a Google spreadsheet to log all of the different uniform components,” Osse said, “as well as a Google form to help students request any sort of uniform components.”
She came up with the idea for the project after visiting a thrift store and seeing a Long Island Lutheran uniform shirt on a rack. She recalled thinking that it was a shame that there wasn’t any way for old uniforms to be given back to other students who might need them.
“I definitely had some uniform components that I had never worn, just sitting in my closet, collecting dust,” Osse said.
Because she organized the project at a time when in-person activity was limited, she wasn’t able to give out too many uniforms, but she managed to collect around 60 articles of clothing for her project. She was presented with the Gold Award last December.
“Each of the Girl Scouts who earned their Gold Award this year showed fortitude, diligence and enthusiasm in creating and executing a plan to act on a societal issue,” Randell Bynum, the chief executive of Girl Scouts of Nassau County, stated in a June press release. “We are very proud and impressed by each of them for reaching their goals and leaving a legacy with their communities. Their dedication is evident and their hard work has touched countless lives. This year, we had Girl Scouts addressing real-life issues such as environmental justice and sustainability, mental and emotional wellness, gender equality in sports, and more. We commend each of them for their important work.”
High school Girl Scouts like Osse begin their Gold Award journey by identifying a civic or social issue that is important to them. Next, they build a team to help them with the project, with the mission of creating a positive impact in their community. The projects are designed to be sustainable, so they can continue long after the scouts that create them earn their awards. Osse’s project is being carried on by Long Island Lutheran’s National Honor Society, which is continuing to collect and repurpose uniforms.
“I did reach out to other students and other schools that also have uniforms, and I described my collection drive,” Osse said, “and they mentioned that they wanted to implement something similar with their schools.”
She says she plans to continue addressing causes that she cares about in her community.
