Gracie's Gowns

08/05/2023

Stop by our Etsy site and do some shopping!

08/28/2022

After several amazing years of running this nonprofit organization (and most single-handedly), we've come to the hard decision of dissolving our official nonprofit status with the Commonwealth of Virginia and the IRS...we're closing up shop at the end of the year in all official capacities and Gracie's Gowns will return to being something that I do as a community service when/how I am able to make gowns for those in need.

Our website will be closing down at the end of the year as well, and everything will solely be done through this social media page. The biggest impact is that should any money be sent after the end of the year to continue making hospital gowns for those in need, it will not be able to be done to Gracie's Gowns itself, nor will it be tax-deductible (meaning to you cannot claim it on your taxes as a donation to a nonprofit organization).

I will be completing all gown requests that have come in before this announcement, I just do not have the capabilities I once did, nor the volunteer staff to help continue making gowns in the capacity the community truly deserves and has come to expect over the last 10 years. There is too much happening in our lives, with my job as a teacher, and the economy that Gracie's Gowns has been losing money each year just to stay afloat and it has cut into our family's budget to keep everything going, but that is no longer feasible either.

You all have been the biggest part of my life and as we navigate the upcoming months, I know that there will be a lot of questions and I hope to have answers to them all. There are some items available on our website still masks, caps, wristbands, decals, in stock gowns, etc. They're all 50% off with the code CLOSING as we prepare to start shutting the website down and transitioning solely to a community service project.

https://www.graciesgowns.org/store/c6/shopwithus

07/13/2022

All of these gowns are out in the mailbox for tomorrow's pickup 📬 I have two more gown requests that i hope to finish this week as well, but it just depends on how the remainder of the week goes.

My husband had hand surgery almost two weeks ago and it was a really tough adjustment for us, and we're also down a vehicle as my van's transmission died at the end of last week...sooo many adventures this summer as we also had some really ugly storms last night and lost power for a bit too.

So I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet in the upcoming week (ha!).

06/29/2022

It's been a while....I know....if I can coordinate my thoughts I will get a post together, but short story is life has just been hard and running a nonprofit in a pandemic and with soaring inflation has basically done us in :( on top of my first year of full-time teaching there just hasn't been enough money or time to make the magic happen the way we used to.

A lot of things need to be decided, but for now, I'm still going to make gowns the best I can, the fastest I can!

New gowns that went out in today's mail and if I can get a few more hours of work in today, more will go out in tomorrow's mail too!

05/30/2022

05/11/2022

It's an early share, but mark your calendars to come out to Walmart Fredericksburg - Southpoint Pkwy on June 4th, 2022 between 12p and 3p to meet the Mascot Books author behind the Mr. Toad's Adventures series Tim Carpenter and have him sign your copy of his two children's books!

Don't have a copy already? No worries, you can purchase a copy of the first book in the series "My First Doctor's Visit" at the book signing event too! Each copy is $15 with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Gracie's Gowns!

I will be present for the event, so feel free to come by and say hi to me too - I would be happy to answer any of your questions about our organization, ways you can help, and more!

04/10/2022

Another great book in the Mr. Toad series is available for purchase! The first one was about doctor's appointments...so it's only logical that the dentist would be up next!

Get your copy at:
https://mascotbooks.com/mascot-marketplace/buy-books/childrens/picture-books/mr-toads-adventures-my-first-dental-examination/

04/03/2022

We have entered our 10th year of making gowns for children with chronic and life-threatening medical conditions starts in March of 2022!
Donate today at: https://www.paypal.com/fundraiser/charity/117720
Each gown is custom to the size, likes/interests, and personality of each child they are made for. This also includes embroidering their name on the front of the gown as well...allowing them to not only take ownership throughout their medical journey, but empowering each child to see who they truly are, not just what diagnosis they have.

04/03/2022

Sometimes is just the little details that make it all come together nicely 🥰

04/02/2022

Just working on a few gown requests 😊

03/05/2022

Okay now maybe I can get to work...had to clean off my cutting table a considerable amount because it turned into what I call "a landing zone" for stuff, but perks of that was I was able to update our website with a TON of new reusable face masks :)

https://www.graciesgowns.org/store/c6/shopwithus

I know for many you're done with masks and tired of hearing about them, but for others they have provided a sense of security through chaotic times (and we've had them for YEARS before COVID anyway...so they'll be around for us for the years to come anyway).

03/05/2022

I'm down in the basement today in hope of getting these gown requests here cut and seen 🥰 we've been sick - several in our house had COVID the end of January and that was also the start of our competition season for dance and school/life has been insanely chaotic to say the least. It's hard at the end of the day to have the energy to take on more that what absolutely had to be done, but this weekend, I'm dedicating myself to these pieces of fabric right here!

I keep hoping for quieter days, but that doesn't quite seem to be on the agenda anytime soon, so I'll keep trying to squeeze the work in these rare moments!