Last year, the program generated 1,300 dresses and they were sent to the Philippines.

“I only made two, but there were ladies that were whippin' out 15 or 16 dresses,” said Youngpeter, who greatly enjoyed taking a part in this event. On that day, 1,433 dresses were constructed, just short of the program's goal of 1,500. 

Although the event held on Oct. 19 was only one day, the final turn-in date for this yearly project is in mid-November, according to Carly Smith, member of the student committee for the project at Findlay High School. The 1,500 dress goal is expected to be met by that date.

Smith also said that many women are committed to the project all year, with some constructing roughly 150 dresses over that time period.

Youngpeter said that learning the new sewing machinery to make the dresses was a challenge that day, but there was plenty of assistance to make the project run smoothly.

“My mom always taught me that community service is awesome and it was something I was interested in, knowing that it's going to help somebody out,” Youngpeter said in regards to why she decided to participate in this event, which she learned about through Smith.

She encouraged others to come out next year to join in this cause. “You can just walk on in,” she said, “and the people there are really nice and will show you what to do, so even if you don't know how to sew, it's a great thing.”