While most high schoolers fret over their own prom and homecoming apparel, Olivia Hein's focus is on others. Hein, a CISD senior, teamed up with her mother Lynne to collect dresses for high school students whose families were affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston. This natural disaster reminded Olivia of her own childhood when her family couldn’t afford a new dress for an important dance.
“When I heard about the young women in Houston and what they were going through after Hurricane Harvey, it reminded me of that experience, and it really hit close to home,” Olivia says.
The mother-and-daughter pair have collected close to 2,500 dresses. Each year, they reach out to locals asking for donations and then drive the dresses down to Houston to donate them in per - son. Lynne and Olivia even help the high schoolers choose the dress of their dreams, providing them with more than just an outfit.
“The donations allow the girls to have a night free of worries about money and be able to have fun like everyone else,” Olivia says. “This feeling of normalcy adds to the high school experience of all these girls’ lives and hopefully brightens their day.”
Lynne and Olivia have no plans on slowing down, with both hoping to collect more dresses this year. And that’s because Olivia says that while she knows she’s providing a great service, she also realizes giving back is its own reward.
“Giving always feels more rewarding than receiving,” Olivia says.