West High School senior Ella Kate Vinson organized a Community Clothing Closet & Wellness Fair for the Pond Gap community this past Saturday, November 22, 9 a.m.-noon.
Pond Gap Community Clothing Closet and Wellness Fair
Ella Kate Vinson
This project is Ella Kate’s Girl Scout Gold Award project and a key part of her CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) project as an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma candidate.
Ella Kate says of this project, “The Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouts, similar in prestige to the Eagle Scout in Boy Scouts, and it requires a long-term service project that creates a lasting, meaningful impact. Partnering this effort with my IB CAS project has allowed me to focus on leadership, service, and community outreach through a single initiative.
“Reducing clothing waste and encouraging reuse is important to me, especially as I plan to pursue pre-law with a focus on environmental conservation in college.”
Over the past few months, students, families, and neighbors across Knoxville have donated hundreds of clothing items to support Pond Gap families. Ella Kate and many volunteers have been sorting and organizing everything to create a welcoming, completely free event where families could “shop” for whatever they need.
Ella Kate Vinson sorting clothes
Since Pond Gap Elementary is a United Way Community School, Ella Kate partnered with the school liaison, Keela Paulsen, to build the event into a broader Wellness Fair.
As the former principal of Pond Gap Elementary and someone who loves this sweet community, it is even more special for me to inform the readers of this special event organized by Ella Kate Vinson.
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